Roben Torosyan

“Human life, Rousseau understood, begins not in democracy but in monarchy. The baby, on whom caregivers ardently dote, has no way of surviving except by making slaves of others. Babies are so weak that they must either rule or die. Incapable of shared work or reciprocity, they can get things only by commands and threats, and by exploiting the worshipful love given them by others. (In letters, Rousseau made it clear that this was why he abandoned his children: he just didn’t have time to be at a baby’s beck and call.)”
― Martha C. Nussbaum, The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis

“Philosophy…is…a form of love. It may state unequivocally, “This is wrong. This is not the way to live.” But it does so without banishing people from the room, condemning wrong beliefs and bad actions, but treating people, always, with attention and respect.”
― Martha C. Nussbaum, The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis

“[It is] very hard to accept...the story that we tell ourselves that we bear no responsibility for the epidemics that surround us — that they come out of nowhere, that they should always surprise us.”
― Malcolm Gladwell, Revenge of the Tipping Point

“But given that the children are products of the same biological stock, a much more plausible explanation for the differences in performance has to do with differences in parents' rearing and expectations of their first child compared with their younger children.”
― Robert Livingston, The Conversation: How Talking Honestly About Racism Can Transform Individuals and Organizations