this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2025
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[Migrated, see pinned post] Casual Conversation
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Fahrenheit is a perfectly cromulent unit of measure when the use case is for referencing human comfort.
The rage it incites in others on the internet is just a side benefit. It's hilariously awe-inspiring just how wound up some people get over a personal preference for a unit of measure. Mr. Fahrenheit should be proud of what he accomplished.
The issue is not in the accuracy, ease, and convenience of describing and being compatible with the human experience. It has never been that.
The issue is Fahrenheit's/imperial units' compatibility and division factor of 10's compatibility with other units, and all of those scales and units being consistent and predictable.
It's literally just two philosophies of going about seeing the world.
To disclose my bias, I was brought up with imperial units. The problem in most discussions of these two ideas facing off is that nobody discusses the real topic: The pros and cons of unification vs. the rote arbitrariness of the human existence and whether or not we want to stand behind yet again another self-centered description of the universe.
Measuring horses with hands is fucking weird, but because we experience horses from our own perspective, which is limited to our physical body, measuring in hands is a really easy way to understand that unit of measurement, as opposed to decimals of meters.
I was watching a video just before where an american measured two impact craters on a piece of steel, read off some gibberish fractional inches for each one then commented "my math isnt great, but i think that one is about double". My dude, your calipers read off approximately 5mm and 10mm, your life would be so much easier if you toggled it to metric units.