“American influence in the world is certainly considerable, but the United States does not control, directly or indirectly, the politics and economics of other societies, as empires have always done, save for a few special cases that turn out to be the exceptions that prove the rule.” WorldDoeStatesDoneTurnsUnitedCasesUnited StatesInfluenceSpecialProveEconomicsEmpiresExceptionPolitics And Economics Book:The Case for Goliath: How America Acts as the World's Government in the Source: The Case for Goliath: How America Acts as the World's Government in the
“If any spiritualistic medium can do stunts, there is no more need for special conditions than there is for a chemist to turn down lights, start operations with a hymn, and ask whether there's any chemical present that has affinity with something named Hydrogen.” IfsNeedsLightTurnsAsksCan DoSpecialConditionsMediumsOperationsChemicalsHymnsAffinityChemistHydrogen Book:Lo! Source: Lo!
“Active liberty is particularly at risk when law restricts speech directly related to the shaping of public opinion, for example, speech that takes place in areas related to politics and policy-making by elected officials. That special risk justifies especially strong pro-speech judicial presumptions. It also justifies careful review whenever the speech in question seeks to shape public opinion, particularly if that opinion in turn will affect the political process and the kind of society in which we live.” IfsKindLawPoliticalTurnsStrongProcessLibertyOpinionRiskSpecialPolicyExampleShapesSpeechAreasCarefulActiveRelatedOfficialsJustifyReviewsFreedom Of SpeechPublic OpinionJudicialPresumptionElected OfficialsLive FreePublic OfficialsPolicy Making Author:Stephen Breyer
“Another longstanding foreign policy flaw is the degree to which special interests dictate the way in which the "national interest" as a whole is defined and pursued.... America's important historic relationship with Israel has often led foreign policy decision-makers to defer reflexively to Israeli security assessments, and to replicate Israeli tactics, which, as the war in Lebanon last summer demonstrated, can turn out to be counter-productive.” WayImportantWarWholeLastsAmericaTurnsInterestDecisionSpecialSecurityPolicyDegreesSummerIsraelDefinedProductiveFlawsMakersForeign PolicyHistoricTacticsPursuedIsraeliAssessmentSpecial InterestsLebanonNational InterestsReplicateDecision MakersLast Summer Author:Samantha Power
“If they're not sincere, then naturally I'll turn them down. But if what they want is to gain power and use it for a higher good, I'll help them. Then they merit some special consideration.” IfsWantHelpingUseTurnsSpecialHigherGainsMeritConsiderationSincereRama Author:Frederick Lenz
“I think that what one can see from a Darwinian account is how the addition of culture in our species turns us into a very special sort of animal, an animal that can be a moral agent in a way that no other animal can be.” ThinkingWayTurnsCultureAnimalMoralSpecialAccountsSpeciesAgents Author:Daniel Dennett
“The fumes of the most disordered imaginations were recorded in their religious code, as special communications of the Deity; and as it could not but happen that, in the course of ages, events would now and then turn up to which some of these vague rhapsodies might be accommodated by the aid of allegories, figures, types, and other tricks upon words, they have not only preserved their credit with the Jews of all subsequent times, but are the foundation of much of the religions of those who have schismatised from them.” MightHappensAgeTurnsCoursesImaginationReligiousAtheismSpecialEventsFiguresCommunicationTypeFoundationJewCreditPositive AtheismAidsTricksCodeNow And ThenVagueDeitiesAllegory Book:Letters Source: Letters