The sailing ship effect is the paradox that the old reaches its peak just as it is being overtaken by the new. Sail, the argument goes, was at its most innovative just as steam was passing it. Evolutionary biology has the Red Queen effect, the Red Queen saying to Alice “Now, here, you see, it… Continue reading OTD# 11 December – Post-colonial blues
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#OTD 16 November – Something old something new
When Justice Scalia’s son presided over his father’s funeral mass, one theme was the reconciliation of the old and the new. The goodness or badness of Scalia’s jurisprudence in the transience of politics to one side, this son of an immigrant rose to pre-eminence in the law with an adherence to originalism when approaching the… Continue reading #OTD 16 November – Something old something new
#OTD 7 November – The enigma of Russia
I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest. This was the theme of Winston Churchill’s first wartime broadcast on the BBC. Ideological enemies Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia had just signed… Continue reading #OTD 7 November – The enigma of Russia