Quote:
Originally Posted by hcap
How do you know this?
What do you mean by greater? You know the old Ben Franklyn story?
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
A nail, the cause, is less greater than losing a kingdom, the effect.
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Q1. Why was the kingdom lost?
A1.
Because the battle was lost.
Q2. Why was the battle lost?
A2.
Because the message was lost.
Q3. Why was the message lost?
A3.
Because the rider was lost.
Q4. Why was the rider lost?
A4.
Because the horse was lost.
Q5. Why was the horse lost?
A5.
Because the shoe was lost.
Q6. Why was the shoe lost?
A6.
Because for a want of a nail.
If we stopped right here, my arithmetic tells me there there are six causes: five of them secondary and one primary.
However, answer number 6 kinda begs the question, doesn't it? The next question that is begging to be asked is: Why the want for a nail? There could be many more answers (additional secondary causes) necessary to get to the bottom of this question.
Go play in your sandbox, Humpty. This discussion is way above your pay grade.