James Vincent

It happens in India when they free themselves from British imperial rule, they go metric. And it happens in South America a lot too, where you have new republics being created. One of the things they do is they adopt the metric system.

And my personal read on this is that it's only in these times of huge instability where the norms of the world, the norms of how we live our life are sort of thrown up in the air. They're thrown to hazard and we don't know where they're going to land. It's only in those moments that you can make such a monumental change.

And my personal read on this is that it's only in these times of huge instability where the norms of the world, the norms of how we live our life are sort of thrown up in the air. They're thrown to hazard and we don't know where they're going to land. It's only in those moments that you can make such a monumental change.

And my personal read on this is that it's only in these times of huge instability where the norms of the world, the norms of how we live our life are sort of thrown up in the air. They're thrown to hazard and we don't know where they're going to land. It's only in those moments that you can make such a monumental change.

Yeah. I mean, the metric system, I would argue, is one of our species' sort of greatest scientific accomplishments in a way. I mean, I know that perhaps sounds like I'm overstating it, but it's such a useful tool. And it has been so thoroughly adopted throughout the world. And the benefits of it have been amazing. Imagine if every country today in the 21st century had

Yeah. I mean, the metric system, I would argue, is one of our species' sort of greatest scientific accomplishments in a way. I mean, I know that perhaps sounds like I'm overstating it, but it's such a useful tool. And it has been so thoroughly adopted throughout the world. And the benefits of it have been amazing. Imagine if every country today in the 21st century had

Yeah. I mean, the metric system, I would argue, is one of our species' sort of greatest scientific accomplishments in a way. I mean, I know that perhaps sounds like I'm overstating it, but it's such a useful tool. And it has been so thoroughly adopted throughout the world. And the benefits of it have been amazing. Imagine if every country today in the 21st century had

still used its own system of units and every time you went from one country to another you had to find out what the new units were or every time you shared you know plans to build a car or the latest scientific research you had to convert for each country that you went to what their units were. I mean imagine all the mistakes and the wasted time that would entail.

still used its own system of units and every time you went from one country to another you had to find out what the new units were or every time you shared you know plans to build a car or the latest scientific research you had to convert for each country that you went to what their units were. I mean imagine all the mistakes and the wasted time that would entail.

still used its own system of units and every time you went from one country to another you had to find out what the new units were or every time you shared you know plans to build a car or the latest scientific research you had to convert for each country that you went to what their units were. I mean imagine all the mistakes and the wasted time that would entail.

When the metric system was having a sort of a real surge in the 19th century, people compared it to the introduction of a single language for the world. There was this big internationalist movement where they thought if the world shared all these systems, that there would be less fighting, that there would be more international cooperation. collaboration and harmony.

When the metric system was having a sort of a real surge in the 19th century, people compared it to the introduction of a single language for the world. There was this big internationalist movement where they thought if the world shared all these systems, that there would be less fighting, that there would be more international cooperation. collaboration and harmony.

When the metric system was having a sort of a real surge in the 19th century, people compared it to the introduction of a single language for the world. There was this big internationalist movement where they thought if the world shared all these systems, that there would be less fighting, that there would be more international cooperation. collaboration and harmony.

And advocates used to say, first, we'll get the shared units of weight and measure, then we'll get a shared money system, and then we'll get a shared language. And once we're all speaking the same language, you know, there'll be peace on earth. And obviously, it's a pretty rose-tinted view of the world.

And advocates used to say, first, we'll get the shared units of weight and measure, then we'll get a shared money system, and then we'll get a shared language. And once we're all speaking the same language, you know, there'll be peace on earth. And obviously, it's a pretty rose-tinted view of the world.

And advocates used to say, first, we'll get the shared units of weight and measure, then we'll get a shared money system, and then we'll get a shared language. And once we're all speaking the same language, you know, there'll be peace on earth. And obviously, it's a pretty rose-tinted view of the world.

We have very good translation tools now that make it easy to translate from one language to another. I don't think it particularly stops wars, but there is something in there in that if you're all speaking the same language, whether that language is speech and grammar or whether it is weights and lengths, that that does help reduce friction. So I have quite an idealist view of the metric system.

We have very good translation tools now that make it easy to translate from one language to another. I don't think it particularly stops wars, but there is something in there in that if you're all speaking the same language, whether that language is speech and grammar or whether it is weights and lengths, that that does help reduce friction. So I have quite an idealist view of the metric system.

We have very good translation tools now that make it easy to translate from one language to another. I don't think it particularly stops wars, but there is something in there in that if you're all speaking the same language, whether that language is speech and grammar or whether it is weights and lengths, that that does help reduce friction. So I have quite an idealist view of the metric system.

So it was... It was originally one ten millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator. The motivation for that is that they wanted a unit that was going to be defined by something unchanging and something that was accessible to everyone.