Full record for Clarke's First Law n.
| Definition | "When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong." |
| OED requirements | antedating 1962 |
| Earliest cite | Arthur C. Clarke, Profiles of the Future |
| Comment |
Fred Bacon submitted a cite from a 1977 reprint of "Profiles of the Future"; it was subsequently verified in the 1962 first edition by Scott Neugroschl. This cite is for the form "Clarke's Law", and for the text of the law itself.
Talin sent in a cite from Clarke's 1972 "Report on Planet Three" in a chapter "Technology and the Future", in which Clarke explicitly names and numbers the laws. (this article is described as edited from a transcription of tapes of a lecture given to the American Institute of Architects in May 1967.) Bill Mullins sent a cite from a review (in the London Times, Dec 6 1962) of Profiles of the Future, which described two of the Laws, but did not number them. We would like to see any cites antedating 1972 in which it is explicitly named as "Clarke's First Law" |
| Last modified | 6 July, 2008 |