Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Laokoon or Limitations of Poetry (1776)
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La Mettrie who had himself painted and engraved as a second Democritus laughs only the first time one looks at him. Repeated contemplation changes the philosopher into a fool, his laughter changes into a grin.
— Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "La Mettrie who had himself painted and engraved as a second Democritus laughs only the first time one looks at him. Repeated contemplation changes the philosopher into a fool, his laughter changes into a grin." in the context of "Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Laokoon or Limitations of Poetry (1776)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Julien Offray de La Mettrie" (Quotes about La Mettrie, The Mechanistic Principle and the Non-mechanical (1913): as quoted by Paul Carus, "La Mettrie's View of Man as a Machine" source.)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Julien Offray de La Mettrie (November 23, 1709 – November 11, 1751) was a French physician and philosopher, and one of the earliest of the French materialists of the Enlightenment. He is best known for his work L'homme machine (Man a Machine).
About Julien Offray de La Mettrie
Julien Offray de La Mettrie (November 23, 1709 – November 11, 1751) was a French physician and philosopher, and one of the earliest of the French materialists of the Enlightenment. He is best known for his work L'homme machine (Man a Machine).
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