Home > The Magazine > Columnists

Saturday 4 July 2009

Subscribe now

Dare to dream and make your ultimate trip a reality

The latest culture as recommended by our staff

Liz Anderson

Liz Suggests

Email registration

Free weekly email update

Great products and special offers for Spectator readers

Click here for great value events

And another thing

Rubbish, entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Paul Johnson

Wednesday, 13th June 2007

One of the secrets of the universe is buried in the word rubbish. The word itself is secretive: no one knows its precise provenance. The big OED says: ‘Of obscure origin app. related in some way to rubble.’ But if you look up rubble, it says: ‘Of obscure origin, app. related in some way to rubbish.’ Dirt is matter in the wrong place. Rubbish is matter in the wrong place but on a larger scale. Getting it into the right place is beginning to perplex governments as never before. The earliest general attempt in English history to deal with the problem can be found in the Parliament Roll for 1392–93: ‘Qu nulle ...gette ne mette ...ascuns fymes, ordures, mukes, rubbawes ou lastage in la dite eloe entre les lieux sus dites.’ Leaving aside the dreadful legal French, the law is hopeless because it merely tells you where not to put it. What should you do? Burn it? Bury it? That is what we have been doing, not so much ourselves, but by delegation to local authorities. All very well for Edmund Blunden to write:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 Next page

More articles from: Paul Johnson | this section

Print this article | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comment

Subscribe Now 12 issues for £12 in the UK : Gift subscriptions : Overseas subscriptions

Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit

Another Voice

Matthew Parris

It is good that MPs have second jobs — but they should share the proceeds

Ancient & Modern

Peter Jones

Peter Jones looks into some classical apophthegms

Status Anxiety

Toby Young

‘Hyper-parenting’ may be bad — but look what happened when I tried the alternative

The Wiki Man

Rory Sutherland

A fortnightly column on technology and the web

Standing Room

Sarah Standing

When I was young, being given ‘options’ was a treat.

Cardinal values

Lucy Beckett

Fires of Faith: Catholic England Under Mary Tudor, by Eamon Duffy

Why I’m voting for Ukip

Stuart Wheeler

Stuart Wheeler, once a major Tory donor, says that by failing to confront the crucial issue of Europe, David Cameron is betraying his country

This papal visit is a good time to reprieve Pius XII

Simon Caldwell

Simon Caldwell says that the wartime Pope was no Nazi sympathiser: on the contrary, he was a thorn in Hitler’s side and a protector of persecuted Jews

Status Anxiety

Toby Young

My accident has left me with a pre-rational fear that my guardian angel has deserted me

Boris for Prime Minister?

Andrew Gimson

Andrew Gimson says that David Cameron and George Osborne should prepare themselves for competition. The Mayor of London might well have his eyes on the ultimate prize.