Some saw the metric system as an intrusion on national sovereignty from "summary" of The Measure of All Things by Ken Alder
To many, the metric system represented a radical departure from tradition, a break with the past that threatened the very essence of their national identity. It was seen as a foreign import, an imposition from afar that sought to undermine the unique customs and practices that defined a nation. For those who viewed the metric system through this lens, its adoption was not simply a matter of practicality or convenience, but a question of pride and sovereignty. The resistance to the metric system was not just about units of measurement, but about preserving a sense of autonomy and independence in the face of external pressures. It was a symbol of resistance against encroaching globalization and homogenization, a way to assert one's distinctiveness in a rapidly changing world. To embrace the metric system was to risk losing a part of what made a nation unique, to surrender to a bland uniformity that eroded cultural differences and eroded national pride. This sense of unease was heightened by the historical context in which the metric system emerged. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, which had upended the traditional order and established new norms of governance, the metric system wa...
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