Alfred Korzybski (July 3, 1879 - March 1, 1950) was a Human philosopher. He coined the phrase "A difference which makes no difference is no difference."
History
In the year 2269, Montgomery Scott quoted this phrase when talking with Leonard McCoy about whether or not transporters actually created identical duplicates of people then destroyed the original body, and if the soul was also duplicated; he also mentioned that Spock was fond of quoting this phrase. Two weeks later, when a nearly identical duplicate of Spock was created, he quoted this phrase to James T. Kirk to justify allowing the two Spocks to co-exist. (TOS novel: Spock Must Die!)
In 2270, Omne quoted this phrase to Spock when he described to him the Phoenix Process, which could create identical duplicates of people. (TOS novel: The Price of the Phoenix)
In 2367, Jean-Luc Picard quoted this phrase in a discussion about the possibility of two parallel universes being nearly identical. (TNG novel: Dark Mirror)
Appendices
Background
- Korzybski's first name, Alfred, was not mentioned in either novel.
- The actual quotation, often misquoted, is "A difference which makes no difference is no difference at all." by William James. (http://quotes.yourdictionary.com/author/william-james/166375)
External link
- Alfred Korzybski article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.