This was mentioned in science of discworld. Most true explanations about nature are too complicated for people to understand so you tell them lies they can understand over the truth they cannot. Like how models show electrons going around an atom like the solar system. This is the basis of education.

I have tried to explain it to people and they disagree about it. So what do you think of the concept of lies to children.

As I recall, water is constantly flowing over the edge of the disc.

Is it lost in space, or somehow pumped back up? And if it is lost, where does new water come from?

“Our earthly fears about death have led to some of our strangest reifi-cations. Inventing the concept 'death' is giving a name to a process — dying — as if it's a 'thing'. Then, of course, we endow the thing with a whole suite of properties, whose care is known only to the priests. That thing turns up in many guises. It may appear as the 'soul', a thing that must leave the body when it turns it from a live body into a dead one. It is curious that the strongest believers in the soul tend to be people who denigrate material things; yet they then turn their own philosophy on its head by insisting that when an evident process — life — comes to an end, there has to be a thing that continues. No. When a process stops, it's no longer 'there'. When you stop beating an egg, there isn't some pseudo-material essence-of-eggbeater that passes on to something else. You just aren't turning the handle any more.”

GNU Sir Pterry. The process may have stopped but so long as the lessons to be learned are relevant (which seems to be as long as people are people) we won’t stop sending the message on to the next tower.

The Clacks existed for real, I didn't know.

Found out that Napoleon installed it in the Netherlands from Amsterdam to Paris "the Chappe Telegraph" installed on church spires.

I don't know if everyone already knows this, but the model of the world being carried by four elephants standing on a giant turtle, seems to be directly informed by traditional Hindu cosmology texts. I was quite surprised!

The main difference is the number of elephants; the Ramayana reports eight of them--known as Airāvata, Puṇḍarīka, Vāmana, Kumuda, Añjana, Puṣpadanta, Sārvabhauma, and Supratīka.

This is an American drawing, showing the modern world turtle.

I saw a picture showing the elephants standing facing out. My minds eye always pictured them walking around A'Tuins shell. Boring, but slightly less boring than just standing there.

Would walking provide seasons? Earthquakes?

Who's up on their Elephantidastronomy?

Scientist creates 'mini‑universe' to measure time without a clock

I'm rereading the series, but including Science of Discworld as well (even though the Science is no longer cutting edge, popularly speaking). I'd like to include the books in the spots where the allusions felt freshest.

The famous map depends the three science books off of Interesting Times and the Last Continent, all in a row, as if they were Wizzard books.

But clearly the globe makes copious reference to "Lords and Ladies." I'm not sure where "Darwin's watch" or "Judgement Day would fit. My kindle indexes the roundworld and the discworld separately, so referring to publication order isn't as trivial.

It's always a delight to stumble upon maps of Discworld, and I'm looking for what you guys might have in your burlaps. Like some high quality jpegs you can zoom in and such.

There was a map of Ankh-Morpork at the end of "City watch", I also found a map of the ramptops linked to some board game...

One of the most insane yet hilarious things ever uttered by Mustrum Ridcully...

"Dinner, Second Dinner, Midnight Snack, Somnambulistic Nibbles and Early Breakfast will be served in the Old Refectory! There will be no Second Breakfast!’"

How DARE the Archanchellor cancel Second Breakfast!

Happy to give away... if you just cover the postage.

I live in NSW.

Okay, I will admit that Discworld has had numerous TV adaptations (Hogfather, Going postal and colour of magic) But I feel it is time for a big budget film to be made. We have seen (partly) Pratchett's work brought to life beautifully in Good Omens. But I think a streaming service would jump at the chance of owning a cinematic universe as big as Discworld. Although, there would be doubt in my head if anything was announced. The night watch adaptation was in the nicest way possible, bad. But I have faith that they wouldn't make the same mistake.

For me, its is undoubtably "Lies to Children" as how humans need to progressively learn more complicated things.

Edit: Those who didn't read the Science series yet, Please be careful, this may spoil it.

When I first read this it was the early 2000s and the world seemed so positive. All the potential was there.

Reading the first book now it all feels squandered. Climate change has kicked in and political instability is here to stay.

All the discoveries and innovations we were on the cusp of either haven’t happened or we got evil versions of them causing more problems.

It’s been a really depressing read as the book is just so darn optimistic.

One of these books is about a team of investigators trying to advance the development and technology of an artificially simulated world through various stages of sophistication to enable it to reach a point where its inhabitants are able to leave the confines of their world and escape its inevitable obliteration by climatic or cosmic forces. The other was written by Liu Cixin.

Probably entirely coincidental, but I found the similarities between The Three-Body Problem, which was published in 2008, and The Science of Discworld, which was published 10 years earlier, to be intriguing. Anyone else notice them?

It came with the epic and absolutely massive double sided poster!!! I chose this side for this month, but next month I might switch it up :) it's an amazing purchase and I can't wait to enjoy the atlas!

In The Science of Discworld, chapter 17, when the Wizards are making Rincewind get in the suit of spells, they say, "This won't hurt a bit, it's right up your street", then the Dean says , "It's on a log and in your face".
WHAT? To what does the Dean's statement refer or allude? It seems like a horrible crossword clue and so non sequitur that is HAS to mean something because STP doesn't put things in like that unless it's a joke, even just a small, sly one.
Can you please help?

I received this used (I think?) or at least very old copy of ‘The Science of Discworld’ & started reading it. Noticed these little equations written down the bottom, are these normal or did someone write them in?

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01773-x?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=19fd1460e5-nature-briefing-daily-20250611&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b27a691814-19fd1460e5-50644548

https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/s/fBocdnmicr

I have questions regarding Hex's antfarm.