On the way home from Home Depot a bumper sticker on the car in front of me caught my eye:
Cogito Ergo Deus Non Est
I venture to say that 99% of Americans cannot read Latin. I only know one other American I know who can, and I know more than 100 people. I might have missed one or two of you that are clandestine Latin readers, if so, please correct me.
No matter how small the percentage actually is, the efficacy of this bumper sticker is severely limited.
Here is what it says:
I think, therefore there is no God
.
I know Latin…. hehe… But sort of have to as a medievalist…
Oh, I should have thought of you! Of course!
Do you have any good “new” sci fi recommendation? I can’t find anything I want to read, but I am due for one.
I don’t read new sci-fi…. 😉
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson
Mary – Joachim said the DOESN’T read new sci fi. He’s a 50 and 60ies sci fi expert. D.O.D.O won’t be his expertise, other than it having a lot of history in it.
It’s actually translated correctly (or nearly) by non-latin speaking people because it’s a play on the more common “Cogito, ergo sum (I think there I am)”. While i don’t speak latin, I’m aware of many popular phrases written/spoken in latin.
P.S. I, too, have this sticker on my car.
Dustyn – it’s amazing to see you have this sticker on your car!
Reblogged this on Norbert Haupt and commented:
The Latin Corner – a reblog. Before Wolfgang’s Latin contributions, I had this 2012 entry, which gets occasional hits from Internet searches. Worth a reblog.
I don’t consider myself a Latin speaker, but I was able to translate this by combining two phrases I do know: “Cogito, ergo sum” and “Deus ex machine”
And that is how linguistics works. Quod erat demonstrandum.
Your resident polyglot.
I knew that when I read it, I just can’t remember what philosopher proposed it.
Sad! God is alive! Very alive!!!
So is the tooth fairy and santa……sigh