I'm amused/bemused by the history of the word "atom", from the Greek meaning not (a-) cuttable (tom, as in tomography). The 19th-century scientists who used the word knew Greek, so for them the word itself was presumably perceived as two components, a-tom, but the object itself was deemed indivisible.
In the 20th century we can split the atom and even the nucleus with ease, but few 20th-century scientists know Greek, so the word itself is now perceived as indivisible. As Korzybski said, "The word is not the thing." Bruce ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
