We cannot absolutely know that all these exact adaptations are the result of preconcert. But when we see a lot of framed timbers, different portions of which we know have been gotten out at different times and places, and by different workmen - Stephen, Franklin, Roger, and James, for instance - and when we see these timbers joined together, and see they exactly matte the frame of a house or a mill, all the tenons and mortices exactly fitting, and all the lengths and proportions of the different l pieces exactly adapted to their respective places, and not a piece too many or too few, - not omitting even scaffolding - or, if a single piece be lacking, we see the place in the frame exactly fitted and prepared yet to bring such piece in - in such a case we find it impossible not to believe that Stephen and Franklin and Roger and James all understood one another from the beginning and all worked upon a common plan or draft drawn up before the first blow was struck.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Lincoln uses the analogy of a house built by different workers to suggest that the U.S. government was designed with a unified intent, implying cooperation among founders.
- In plain terms
- When many parts fit together perfectly, it suggests the builders planned it that way from the start.
- What can you take from it?
- Complex systems often reflect coordinated design rather than accident.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we know if something was planned?
- What evidence shows coordinated design?
Another view
The analogy assumes intent without direct proof of preconcert.
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