KARL POPPER (1902-1994)

“In science, conjectures are tested,

And falsified theories protested.

But physics is great

In its falsified state:

Let's just have the theory retested."

D. C. Williams

D. C. WILLIAMS (1899-1983)

“I say, there is no universal,

Just tropes that exist in dispersal.

But if ‘trope’ is a type

Then my theory is tripe,

And that will cause total reversal."

Martin Heidegger

MARTIN HEIDEGGER (1889-1976)

A phenomenological jerk

Hated good analytical work.

He composed Sein und Zeit,

And liked Nazis all right,

Firing Jews was a pleasant job perk.

Ludwig Wittgenstein

LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN (1889-1951)

“Philosophical problems are bunk,

They’re just so much nonsensical junk.

If you let the fly out,

She’ll be happy, no doubt,

To escape metaphysical funk."

Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen

ALBERT EINSTEIN (1879-1955)

BORIS PODOLSKY (1896-1966)

NATHAN ROSEN (1909-1995)

‘Tis Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen

Whom God in his wisdom has chosen

To teach us to query

The Danes’ quantum theory:

Smart Jews paradoxes repose in.

G. E. MOORE (1873-1958)

“If you deny that you’re two handed,

Then you’ll be roundly reprimanded.

If in doubt you remain

Then you’re surely insane,

And hence in custody remanded."

GOTTLOB FREGE (1848-1925)

“Our concepts are unsaturated,

With objects they need to be mated.

But that darned concept ‘horse’

Is an object, of course,

Which leaves me completely deflated."

GEORG CANTOR (1845-1918)

I love that huge class of all classes,

The class that none other surpasses.

“But wait! Larger we’ll get

With this set’s power set,”

Said Cantor, the king of wiseasses.

BONUS LIMERICK: GEORG WILHELM FRIEDRICH HEGEL (1770-1831)

‘Twas Hegel who waxed so prophetic

In prose that was much too hermetic.

First his thesis came true

Then antithesis too,

And lastly, confusion synthetic.

Note: Thanks to Carl Sachs for his encouragement.  He offered me "bagel", because Monty Python had already taken "Schlegel".  I came up with "finagle".  Maybe one of these days I'll come up with a "Hegel-finagle-bagel" limerick.  In the meantime, the rest of you, up and at 'em!