to-read
(355)
currently-reading (14)
read (97)
may-read (34)
on-hold-revisit-soon (15)
could-not-commit (14)
gave-up (6)
partially-read (4)
2020 (38)
racy-reads (27)
want-to-read-again (23)
audiobook (22)
currently-reading (14)
read (97)
may-read (34)
on-hold-revisit-soon (15)
could-not-commit (14)
gave-up (6)
partially-read (4)
2020 (38)
racy-reads (27)
want-to-read-again (23)
audiobook (22)
2018
(20)
2017 (15)
favorites (15)
history (10)
indian-lit (9)
science (9)
economics (7)
feminist-lit (7)
philosophy (7)
2021 (6)
hilarious (5)
mental-health (5)
2017 (15)
favorites (15)
history (10)
indian-lit (9)
science (9)
economics (7)
feminist-lit (7)
philosophy (7)
2021 (6)
hilarious (5)
mental-health (5)
Geographical conditions predetermined that Africa, Australia and the Americas would be colonized by Europeans. It had nothing to do with DNA, character or intelligence. To put it simply but accurately, it was all due to the shape and
...more
Okay this could be partly true but one theory to explain it all - the geographical conditions being the determining factor behind colonization and technological innovation - is rather too simplistic. Perhaps, I need to take a deeper look at Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and then counter-narratives provided in other texts such as "Why Nations Fall" by D. Acemoğlu and J. A. Robinson
Abid Uzair liked this
“methods of increasing the degree of truth in our beliefs are well known; they consist in hearing all sides, trying to ascertain all the relevant facts, controlling our own bias by discussion with people who have the opposite bias, and cultivating a readiness to discard any hypothesis which has proved inadequate.”
― Free Thought and Official Propaganda
― Free Thought and Official Propaganda
“How can you derive meaning, purpose, or ethics from evolution? You can’t. Evolution is simply a theory about the process and patterns of life’s diversification, not a grand philosophical scheme about the meaning of life. It can’t tell us what to do, or how we should behave. And this is the big problem for many believers, who want to find in the story of our origins a reason for our existence, and a sense of how to behave.”
― Why Evolution Is True
― Why Evolution Is True
“One of their sting-elimination strategies is to pause, when insulted, to consider whether what the insulter said is true. If it is, there is little reason to be upset. Suppose, for example, that someone mocks us for being bald when we in fact are bald: “Why is it an insult,” Seneca asks, “to be told what is self-evident?”3”
― A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
― A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
“Education should have two objects: first, to give definite knowledge—reading and writing, languages and mathematics, and so on; secondly, to create those mental habits which will enable people to acquire knowledge and form sound judgments for themselves.”
― Free Thought and Official Propaganda
― Free Thought and Official Propaganda
“It is clear that thought is not free if the profession of certain opinions makes it impossible to earn a living. It is clear also that thought is not free if all the arguments on one side of a controversy are perpetually presented as attractively as possible, while the arguments on the other side can only be discovered by diligent search. Both these obstacles exist in every large country known to me, except China, which is the last refuge of freedom.”
― Free Thought and Official Propaganda
― Free Thought and Official Propaganda
EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club
— 28057 members
— last activity 1 hour, 53 min ago
Click HERE for the latest group announcements. "It reminded me of ____ but in space." "I read ____ in high school, and actually liked it." "It's ...more
GR Book-lovers
— 87 members
— last activity Jul 02, 2021 11:54AM
This group is extension of whatsapp group. As always discuss about books and have fun
Abid’s 2024 Year in Books
Take a look at Abid’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Abid
Lists liked by Abid











































