For the monument to Newton’s pebble-collecting child is no less than
the modern world.
This sentence is extracted from the Economist.
I googled and found that A is no less than B means A and B are both in a high importance or they are both in a high quantity. And usually A can compare with B because they are in a same or a similar catalog.
However, in this sentence, I don't see the monument is a similar thing with the modern world. And I found it is meaningless if this sentence means that the monument and the modern world is in a same importance to Newton's pebble-collecting. Given the context, I thought that it means the whole modern world is one of the most important monument of Newton’s pebble-collecting child. Am I correct? If so, how to understand the meaning of no less than?
The whole paragragh is
Does it all matter, a cynic might ask? Will humans really be better
off for knowing such things? The answer, written on the tomb, in St
Paul’s Cathedral, of Newton’s contemporary, Sir Christopher Wren, is:
“If you seek his monument, look around you.” For the monument to
Newton’s pebble-collecting child is no less than the modern world.
This is the link of the article.
Best Answer
In this context, "no less than" has a slightly more idiomatic meaning. It is meant to actually equate the two things. It is stating that the modern world is the monument to Newton's pebble-collecting child.
You might expect the monument to be something smaller or less impactful, which is why the phrase "no less than" is used.