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“Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things.”
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“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”
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“Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.”
― Foundation
― Foundation
“The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.”
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“Interviewer: Did you go through a phase of hopelessness, or…
Chomsky: Yeah, every evening.
Interviewer: I feel like I’m kind of stuck in one.
Chomsky: Every evening. I mean, look: if you want to feel hopeless, there are a lot of things you could feel hopeless about. If you want to sort of work out objectively what’s the chance that the human species will survive for another century, probably not very high. But I mean, what’s the point?
Interviewer: You’ve just got to work at it.
Chomsky: Yeah, what’s the point? First of all, those predictions don’t mean anything—they’re more just a reflection of your mood or your personality than anything else. And if you act on that assumption, then you’re guaranteeing that that’ll happen. If you act on the assumption that things can change, well, maybe they will. Okay, the only rational choice, given those alternatives, is to forget the pessimism.”
― Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky
Chomsky: Yeah, every evening.
Interviewer: I feel like I’m kind of stuck in one.
Chomsky: Every evening. I mean, look: if you want to feel hopeless, there are a lot of things you could feel hopeless about. If you want to sort of work out objectively what’s the chance that the human species will survive for another century, probably not very high. But I mean, what’s the point?
Interviewer: You’ve just got to work at it.
Chomsky: Yeah, what’s the point? First of all, those predictions don’t mean anything—they’re more just a reflection of your mood or your personality than anything else. And if you act on that assumption, then you’re guaranteeing that that’ll happen. If you act on the assumption that things can change, well, maybe they will. Okay, the only rational choice, given those alternatives, is to forget the pessimism.”
― Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky
Adrian’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Adrian’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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