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How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

Photograph at 10x magnification of the head of a size #2 insect pin. Taken by Hugo Sappington at the Essig Museum of Entomology, using a Macropod Micro Kit.

Illustration of a pin with a head shaped like a Cherub
Illustration of a pin with a head shaped like a Cherub, from Illustrerad verldshistoria by E. Wallis, volume I, published 1875

"How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" (alternatively "How many angels can stand on the point of a pin?") is a phrase that, when used in modern contexts, can be used as a metaphor for wasting time debating topics of no practical value, or on questions whose answers hold no intellectual consequence, while more urgent concerns accumulate.[1]

The phrase was originally used in a theological context by 17th century Protestants to mock medieval scholastics such as Duns Scotus[2] and Thomas Aquinas.[3] Whether medieval scholastics really discussed the topic is, however, a matter of debate. The suggestion is possibly an Early Modern invention, intended to discredit scholastic philosophy.[4]

The phrase has also been associated with the fall of Constantinople, with the assertion that scholars debated the topic while Turks besieged the city.[5][6] In Italian,[7] French,[8] Spanish and Portuguese, the conundrum of useless scholarly debates is linked to a similar question of whether angels are sexless or have a sex.[6] In Polish, instead of angels the question is about devils.

  1. ^ Hirsch, E. D. Jr.; Kett, Joseph F.; Trefil, James (eds.). The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Summa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Kennedy, D. J., "Thomism" Archived 7 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine, in the Catholic Encyclopedia)
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?". Today's Zaman. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b Ramírez, José A. (1975). Las Andanzas Del Diablo: Confidencias de un Abogado Ingenuo [The Adventures of the Devil: Confidences of a Naive Lawyer]. Editorial Planeta. p. 58. ISBN 9788432053375. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2020 – via books.google.com.
  7. ^ "Angelo" [Angel]. Dizionario dei modi di dire (Dictionary of idioms) - Corriere.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Discuter sur le sexe des anges" [Chat on the sex of angels]. L'Internaute. CCM Benchmark. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.

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