@UofGravity ...(more) ... of course basic problem was not the power of quantitative analysis, but the tendency to think it must be stronger than observation by the less-numerate. Kelvin's student Perry used a quantitative approach to point out flaws in Kelvin's model, but was ignored and attacked by Kelvin, and Guthrie Tait. It's not the quantitative that's wrong. It's the danger of over-confidence. Here's a couple of limericks I wrote about this: #Poetry #AgeOfThe Earth #LordKelvin #JohnPerry