![]() Here are additional selected citations in chronological order. Full details are given further below.Ī separate Quote Investigator article about a related quip is available under the title: “The Philosopher, the Theologian, and the Elusive Black Cat”. References to Lord Bowen, William James, and Charles Darwin appeared many years later. The scenario was similar to the one above with the search occurring at midnight: 1849 August 25, Family Herald: A Domestic Magazine of Useful Information and Amusement, Volume 7, Number 329, Random Readings: A Definition of Darkness, Quote, Column 1, Published by George … Continue reading ![]() The item was titled “A Definition of Darkness”. In August 1849 a London journal called “Family Herald: A Domestic Magazine of Useful Information and Amusement” printed a short item with an acknowledgement to another magazine called “Penny Punch”. 1846 November 9, Democratic Banner (Filler item), Quote, Column 1, Louisiana, Pike County, Missouri. The blind black searcher was holding an extinguished candle. The scene included the search for a black cat in a dark cellar. No professions were mentioned instead, an elaborate scenario was described to illustrate the notion of darkness. The earliest pertinent evidence located by QI occurred in a Missouri newspaper in 1846. Quote Investigator: This metaphorical framework evolved during a multi-decade period. I have been unable to find solid citations. ![]() The first statement has been attributed to the famous scientist Charles Darwin while the second has been linked to the notable English judge Lord Bowen, and the third has been credited to the renowned philosopher William James. The philosopher is likened to a ‘blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that is not there.’ Pearce? William James? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Anonymous?ĭear Quote Investigator: A vivid and comical metaphor has been applied to professions that require abstract and recondite reasoning abilities:Ī mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black hat which isn’t there.Ī metaphysician is a man who goes into a dark cellar at midnight without a light looking for a black cat that is not there. Charles Darwin? Lord Bowen? Confucius? E.
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