It was a real science; it had discovered there among the contingency and disorder, some valid general… — Kim Stanley Robinson
It was a real science; it had discovered there among the contingency and disorder, some valid general principles of evolution—development, adaptation, complexification, and many more specific principles as well, confirmed by the various subdisciplines.
What he needed were similar principles influencing human history. The little reading he did in historiography was not encouraging; it was either a sad imitation of the scientific method, or art pure and simple. About every decade a new historical explanation revised all that had come before, but clearly revisionism held pleasures that had nothing to do with the actual justice of the case being made.
p. 221Source: Wikiquote · CC BY-SA 4.0
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“It’s the same old story,” he said bitterly. “The resistance begins fighting itself, because that’s the only thing it can beat. Happens every time. You can’t get any movement larger than five people without including at least one fucking idiot.”
p. 315
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p. 410
“We could have a contest. Who does Jackie listen to least?”
Maya laughed out loud. “Everyone would win.”
p. 488

