“The term many presupposes the term one, and the term one presupposes the term many.”

— Alfred North Whitehead

Pt. I, ch. 2, sec. 2.
1920s, Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology (1929)

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Alfred North Whitehead 112

English mathematician and philosopher 1861–1947

Douglas John Foskett (1918–2004)

As cited in: Derek Austin (1977) "Perspective paper: Library Science" in: Donald E. Walker et al. eds. Natural language in information science. p. 48
Classification and indexing in the social sciences (1963)

“The headlong stream is termed violent
But the river bed hemming it in is
Termed violent by no one.”

Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) German poet, playwright, theatre director

"On Violence" [Über die Gewalt] (1930s), trans. John Willett in Poems, 1913-1956, p. 276
Poems, 1913-1956 (1976)

“If we arrive at an equation containing on each side the same term but with different coefficients, we must take equals from equals until we get one term equal to another term. But, if there are on one or on both sides negative terms, the deficiencies must be added on both bides until all the terms on both sides are positive. Then we must take equals from equals until one term is left on each side.”

Diophantus Arithmetica

As quoted by Thomas Little Heath, Diophantos of Alexandria: https://books.google.com/books?id=ABkPAAAAIAAJ A Study in the History of Greek Algebra (1885)
Arithmetica (c. 250 AD)

“I do not think that when one is speaking of hardships or benefits one can reasonably speak in terms of classes or social groups but only in terms of individuals.”

John James Cowperthwaite (1915–2006) British colonial administrator

March 29, 1963, page 135.
Official Report of Proceedings of the Hong Kong Legislative Council
Context: I should like to begin with a philosophical comment. I do not think that when one is speaking of hardships or benefits one can reasonably speak in terms of classes or social groups but only in terms of individuals.

“Myth does not want to be interpreted in cosmological terms but in anthropological terms—or, better, in existentialist terms.”

Rudolf Karl Bultmann (1884–1976) German theologian

Source: New Testament and Mythology and Other Basic Writings (1941), p. 9

“Light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error. It is these mingled opposites which people our life, which make it pungent, intoxicating. We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash.”

Louis Aragon (1897–1982) French poet, novelist and editor

Source: Paris Peasant

“Too many in Washington display a ruling class mentality and congressional term limits would go a long way towards restoring the citizen-legislator ethos of the Founding Fathers, Americans of all political background overwhelmingly support term limits, yet term limits have floundered in Congress. An approach that phases in congressional term limits reconciles the self-interest of members of Congress with the public–s desire to see these changes enacted and gives us the best chance to make term limits a reality.”

Ron DeSantis (1978) Florida politician

DeSantis Takes New Approach to Term Limits https://desantis.house.gov/press-releases?ID=CE85F6D8-D64B-4278-B99C-FF03D323DE2C (May 4, 2015)

“It’s very hard to be objective in terms of my performances because I don’t really tend to go back and watch them and analyze them. In terms of the processes and in terms of the jobs, I tend to love my last one the best.”

Jenna Coleman (1986) English actress

Source: INTERVIEW: THE SERPENT’S JENNA COLEMAN https://brieftake.com/interview-the-serpent-jenna-coleman/ (April 1, 2021)

“The Rule of Three, or Golden Rule of Arithmeticall whole Numbers. Be the three termes given 2 3 4. …To finde their fourth proporcionall Terme: that is to say, in such Reason to the third terme 4, as the second terme 3, is to the first terme 2 [Modern notation: \frac{x}{4} = \frac{3}{2}]. …Multiply the second terme 3, by the third terme 4, & giveth the product 12: which dividing by the first terme 2, giveth the Quotient 6: I say that 6 is the fourth proportional terme required.”

Simon Stevin (1548–1620) Flemish scientist, mathematician and military engineer

Disme: the Art of Tenths, Or, Decimall Arithmetike (1608)

“No culture can be explained in terms of one or more leaders”

Peter Farb (1929–1980) American academic and writer

Man's Rise to Civilization (1968)
Context: We are in the habit of thinking in terms of great leaders largely because the leaders themselves want it that way. The pharaohs ordered that a record of their accomplishments be carved on stone; medieval nobles subsidized troubadours to sing their praises; today's world leaders have large staffs of public-relations consultants. No culture can be explained in terms of one or more leaders...<!-- p. 93

“The term many presupposes the term one, and the term one presupposes the term many.”

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Alfred North Whitehead 112

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