Zeno of Elea (500 BC): Ancient Greek logician |
A CALCULUS OF KISSES
In a foot race
Achilles can never catch the tortoise
Let alone outrun him.
For Achilles gets half way in one slice of time
And half way more in slice number two
And half way again in slice number three
After an infinite number of slices
Achilles merely gets to where tortoise has been
Not to where he's at now.
Thus no matter how fast Achilles can hurtle
He can never outrun the much slower turtle.
So argued the famous Greek philosopher
Zeno of Elea.
Lat's you and I set a timer for sixty seconds.
In the first 30 seconds I'll kiss you just once
Kiss you twice in the following fifteen
Four kisses during next seven point five
Then in half that time, we'll squeeze in sixteen.
If one takes this game to its ultimate limit
We can fit infinite kisses into only one minute.
So following what Zeno's logic allows
We'll be tasting infinity using our mouths.