Shane

“One of the greatest fictions of all is to deny the complexity of the world and think in absolute terms:”
― Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

“When other countries run sustained trade deficits, they must finance these by selling off domestic assets or running into debt — debt which they actually are obliged to pay. It seems that only the Americans are so bold as to say “Screw the world. We’re going to do whatever we want.” Other countries simply cannot afford the chaos from which the U.S. economy is positioned to withstand as a result of the fact that foreign trade plays a smaller role in its economy than in those of nearly all other nations in today’s interdependent world.

Using debtor leverage to set the terms on which it will refrain from causing monetary chaos, America has turned seeming financial weakness into strength. U.S. Government debt has reached so large a magnitude that any attempt to replace it will entail an interregnum of financial chaos and political instability. American diplomats have learned that they are well positioned to come out on top in such grab-bags.”
― Michael Hudson, The Bubble and Beyond

“Sometimes it happens that a man's circle of horizon becomes smaller and smaller, and as the radius approaches zero it concentrates on one point. And then that becomes his point of view.”
― David Hilbert

“The time for comprehending can be reduced to the instant of the glance, but this glance can include in its instant all the time needed for comprehending.”
― Jacques Lacan