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"For Want of a Nail" is a proverb, having numerous variations over several centuries, reminding that seemingly unimportant acts or omissions can have grave and unforeseen consequences. ==Analysis== This proverb has come down in many variations over the centuries (see historical references below). It describes a situation in which a failure to anticipate or correct some initially small dysfunction leads by successively more critical stages to an egregious outcome. The rhyme thereby relates a conjectural example of the "butterfly effect," an effect studied in chaos theory, involving sensitive dependence on small differences in initial conditions. The rhyme's implied small difference in initial conditions is the lack of a spare horseshoe nail, relative to a condition of its availability.〔 At a more literal level, it expresses the importance of military logistics in warfare. Such chains of causality are perceived only in hindsight. No one ever lamented, upon seeing his unshod horse, that the kingdom would eventually fall because of it.〔(For want of a nail @ Everything2.com )〕 A somewhat similar idea is referred to in the metaphor known as The Camel's nose. Also note that the word "want" in the poem refers to a definition of "want" meaning "lacking," rather than "desiring." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「For Want of a Nail」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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