this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2026
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Explanation: At one early point during his conquests, Alexander the Great ran into the Gordian Knot - a local legend that said whomever could untie the (seemingly impossibly twisted) knot would become ruler of all of Asia. Alexander, seeing an easy solution, simply cut the knot with his sword (according to an alternate account, he removed part of the cart it was tied to instead, allowing him to unravel it easily).
This has since become a metaphor for solving difficult problems with brute force.
If it’s stupid and it works, it is not stupid
Maxim 43: If it’s stupid and it works, it’s still stupid and you’re lucky.
Ozymandias in Watchman referred to it as lateral thinking and ahead of his time