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Letter: Letters : Happy fools

Published 25 January 1997

From James Waterfield

by e-mail

Timothy Jennings nicely demonstrates the similarities between science and
belief (Letters, 4 January, p 45).

My Oxford English Dictionary derives “silly” firmly from the
Germanic/Teutonic sele (via selly), meaning (roughly) happy,
with no trace of Arabic origin or any meaning of “wise”.

So what do you believe? I go for happiness over wisdom, but then I don’t use
an analyst.

Issue no. 2066 published 25 January 1997

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