Literary notes about accretion (AI summary)
In literature, the word "accretion" has been employed to evoke imagery of gradual buildup, both in physical and abstract realms. For example, Nearchus uses "accretion" to describe the layer-by-layer formation of earth, emphasizing tangible, geological growth [1]. In a more intellectual vein, Santayana uses the term to illustrate how new predicates naturally accumulate in response to our evolving inquiries about various themes [2]. Meanwhile, Nietzsche discusses accretion in the context of ideals, suggesting that the personal reality built by accumulating values has, over time, been unlearned, leading to a more atheistic perspective [3]. Henry Scadding, on the other hand, applies the idea to the unpredictable, organic development of a city's structure, emphasizing the unintended outcomes of gradual accumulation over successive years [4].