“A complete theory of evolution must acknowledge a balance between "external" forces of environment imposing selection for local adaptation and "internal" forces representing constraints of inheritance and development. Vavilov placed too much emphasis on internal constraints and downgraded the power of selection. But Western Darwinians have erred equally in practically ignoring (while acknowledging in theory) the limits placed on selection by structure and development what Vavilov and the older biologists would have called "laws of form.” FormLawForceEnvironmentToo MuchTheoryDevelopmentEvolutionBalanceLimitsStructureWesternLocalsAcknowledgeInternalsEmphasisSelectionAdaptationInheritanceConstraintsRepresentingImposingBiologistTheory Of EvolutionExternal Forces Book:Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History Source: Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History
“While [European] national cultures were concocted to distinguish one economic unit of capital from another, civilizational thinking was invented to unify these cultures against their colonial consequences. Islamic, Indian, or African civilizations were invented contrapuntally by Orientalism... in order to match, balance and thus authenticate 'Western Civilization'.” ThinkingOrderCultureEconomicBalanceCivilizationConsequenceWesternIndianIslamicUnitsWestern CivilizationOrientalismNational Culture Author:Hamid Dabashi
“The world has paid a heavy price for the lack of democracy in most of the Middle East. Operation Ajax [CIA code for the August 1953 coup] taught tyrants and aspiring tyrants there that the world's most powerful governments were willing to tolerate limitless oppression as long as oppressive regimes were friendly to the West and to Western oil companies. That helped tilt the political balance in a vast region away from freedom and toward dictatorship.” WorldLongGovernmentPoliticalPowerfulCompanyDemocracyMiddleTaughtWillingBalancePaidWestWesternHeavyOilEastOppressionCodeOperationsRegionsFriendlyMost PowerfulTyrantsRegimesMiddle EastDictatorshipTolerateLimitlessCiaAugustCoupsTiltOil CompaniesAjaxPowerful Government Author:Stephen Kinzer
“If you begin acting contrary to the public's interest, and there is no alternative governmental model, with which you're willing to engage, we, the people, will have to put forth our own extra governmental models and methods of trying to restore the balance of liberty to the liberal tradition of Western society.” PeopleIfsTryingInterestActingLibertyWillingBalanceModelsTraditionMethodWesternContraryAlternativesExtrasWestern Society Author:Edward Snowden