Stetson

“Undifferentiated and only cosmetically varied, the literary world had become one swarming mass, like a rat king. Their cosmetic differences hid a frightened, stifled sameness, which sought only more of itself, and which cast out any true difference, often in the name of difference, while pretending, even to itself, that it didn’t know what it was doing. Any time a group wasn’t sufficiently differentiated, I knew, it aggressively descended into delusion; in which case only those who firmly stood outside could see the truth. The crowd is untruth…”
― Jordan Castro, The Novelist

“The United States used to be, like China, an engineering state. But in the 1960s, the priorities of elite lawyers took a sharp turn. As Americans grew alarmed by the unpleasant by-products of growth—environmental destruction, excessive highway construction, corporate interests above public interests—the focus of lawyers turned to litigation and regulation. The mission became to stop as many things as possible. As the United States lost its enthusiasm for engineers, China embraced engineering in all its dimensions.”
― Dan Wang, Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future

“The uniquely human things you do are thanks to the chatter of spikes in your cortex. This outer layer of the brain contains more neurons in you than in any other animal, ever. So many in fact that we have to divide the cortex into a constellation of areas, each with its own name, to make sense of it all. (Few of these names are exciting—the area with the most neurons that talk directly to the spine, and so has the most control over movement, is called the primary motor cortex; the areas next door are the premotor cortex and, wait for it, the supplementary motor area. Inspired.) These areas all share the same types of neurons but do wildly different things with the spikes sent between them.”
― Mark Humphries, The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds

“Today, in a manner unknown since the arrival of the Pilgrims, the cultural
center of the American nation is fragmenting. The results of the year 2000
census show Hispanics to be overtaking African Americans as the largest
minority, while non-Hispanic whites have declined to just two-thirds of
the U.S. population and have become a minority in the most populous
state, California. Contemplating their demographic decline, white Americans
are engaging in an increasingly bitter, internecine “culture war” that
pits liberal against conservative in a polarized political climate. Against a
demographic backdrop known as the “Browning of America,” the forces
of multiculturalism vie for influence with popular initiatives proclaiming
“English Only,” “immigration reform,” and a Christian America.”
― Eric Kaufmann