“It is far easier to concentrate power than to concentrate knowledge. That is why so much social engineering backfires and why so many despots have led their countries into disasters.”
― Intellectuals and Society
― Intellectuals and Society
“The beauty of doing nothing is that you can do it perfectly. Only when you do something is it almost impossible to do it without mistakes. Therefore people who are contributing nothing to society, except their constant criticisms, can feel both intellectually and morally superior.”
―
―
“[D]idn't Aristarchus and the Pythagoreans propose heliocentrism in ancient times? If only they had prevailed, we might have had Real Science millennia sooner. What was their evidence?
Well, you see, fire is nobler than earth and the center is a nobler position. So fire has to be in the center. QED.
There are many names for this sort of thinking, but "scientific" is not one of them.”
―
Well, you see, fire is nobler than earth and the center is a nobler position. So fire has to be in the center. QED.
There are many names for this sort of thinking, but "scientific" is not one of them.”
―
“Maybe that's the way of things, too. That the more beautiful a thing is, the shorter it seems to last. People no less than flowers.”
― This Broken World
― This Broken World
“Bascal laughed. "You can't actually believe that, boyo. When was the last no-confidence vote in the Senate? The people of Earth were tired of responsibility; they forced it on my parents, and wouldn't take it back now even if they could.”
― The Wellstone
― The Wellstone
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