Paris court blocks auction of earliest-known calculator
A Paris court has blocked the auction of the earliest-known mechanical calculator, the Pascaline, which dates back to the 17th century. The decision came after a legal battle between the current owner, a private collector, and the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, which argued that the Pascaline is a significant part of France’s scientific heritage and should be preserved in the public domain.
The Pascaline, invented by French mathematician Blaise Pascal in 1642, is considered a groundbreaking device in the history of computing. It is a hand-cranked machine that can perform addition and subtraction through a series of gears and wheels. Only a few Pascalines are known to exist today, with most of them housed in museums.
The private collector, who remains unnamed, had planned to auction the Pascaline for an estimated value of €1 million. However, the court ruled in favor of the museum, stating that the calculator should not be sold to the highest bidder but should instead be made accessible to the public for educational purposes.
The collector’s lawyer argued that the decision sets a dangerous precedent for the private ownership of historical artifacts. On the other hand, the museum’s representatives expressed relief at the court’s ruling, stating that the Pascaline is an integral part of France’s scientific and technological history that should be shared with the wider public.
The legal battle over the Pascaline highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the ownership and preservation of historical objects with significant cultural or scientific value.
Sources Analysis:
Court ruling – The Paris court is an impartial judicial institution.
Private collector – The collector may have a financial interest in selling the Pascaline.
Musée des Arts et Métiers – The museum has an interest in preserving and displaying historical artifacts.
Fact Check:
The existence of the Pascaline – Verified fact. The Pascaline’s invention by Blaise Pascal – Verified fact. The estimated value of the Pascaline – Unconfirmed claim.
—
Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Paris court blocks auction of earliest-known calculator”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.