Meaning of Last Thursdayism | Babel Free

Definitions

The proposition that the universe began to exist last Thursday, with the appearance of age and history.

Equivalents

Examples

“The statement is on the order⟳ of Last⟳ Thursdayism; it can never be proven or disproven.”

“Any memories you might have⟳ of the past were created in your head when you were created, just as the fossils were placed in the rocks to look⟳ as if they were from the ancient past. This idea is nicknamed “Last⟳ Thursdayism” by the famous philosopher Bertrand Russell as in “the world might have⟳ been created last⟳ Thursday—how would we know⟳ the difference?””

“Last⟳ Thursdayism is a response to omphalism which posits that, by the same logic, the world might have⟳ been created last⟳ Thursday (or, by implication, any given date⟳ and time), but with the appearance of age: people's memories, history books, fossils, light⟳ already on the way from distant stars, and so forth.”

CEFR level