Immanuel Kant

"But should any reader find this plan, which I publish as the Prolegomena to any future Metaphysics, still obscure, let him consider that not every one is bound to study Metaphysics, that many minds will succeed very well, in the exact and even in deep sciences, more closely allied to practical experience, while they cannot succeed in investigations dealing exclusively with abstract concepts. In such cases men should apply their talents to other subjects. But he who undertakes to judge, or still more, to construct, a system of Metaphysics, must satisfy the demands here made, either by adopting my solution, or by thoroughly refuting it, and substituting another. To evade it is impossible."

Taken from:

Prolegomena ...

What a put down, don't you think?

In such cases men should apply their talents to other subjects.

He goes on to say:

" " Ignavum, fucos, pecus a praesepibus arcent. "

"Bees are defending their hives against drones, those indolent creatures. ""

If you are a teacher, next time you have a lazy student, just say indolent drone.

Actually in Spanish we do use the word: Zángano! i.e. drone.

Mathematics is Synthetic:

" All principles of geometry are no less analytical. That a straight line is the shortest path between two points, is a synthetical proposition. For my concept of straight contains nothing of quantity, but only a quality. The attribute of shortness is therefore altogether additional, and cannot be obtained by any analysis of the concept. Here, too, visualization [Anschauung] must come to aid us. It alone makes the synthesis possible."

I read all this when I was a kid. I had forgotten. Maybe old Immanuel will help me in my introduction of Information in Physics.

Beautiful phrase from the same source:

"Men who never think independently have nevertheless the acuteness to discover everything, after it has been once shown them, in what was said long since, though no one ever saw it there before."