Saturday, December 15, 2007

Evolution Evolves

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5 comments:

My Frontier Thesis said...

The illusion of Revolution seems to be a recurring theme in Russian history: from Czars to Totalitarians to Putin-style Democracy.

This evolutionary theory has also taught us to never start a land-war in Asia.

12/16/2007 4:53 PM
Mr roT said...

the Mongols did alright with one...

12/16/2007 6:29 PM
My Frontier Thesis said...

Still, they had an impact like the Vikings, where the brunt was felt initially, but once in power the Ericcsons and Khans did such a good job assimilating that all that remains now are horrific memories — unless one is Mongol or Viking.

I don't remember if I mentioned this before, but Ghengis Khan is revered today because Soviet historians had interpreted him as a feudalistic warlord throughout the 20th century. Nostalgia is such a dangerous thing. It seems there's room for a good critique of Ghengis Khan without having to approach the subject with a Marxist/Leninist lens.

12/16/2007 7:21 PM
Mr roT said...

Yeh. Russians still carry the Stalin posters...

12/16/2007 10:29 PM
My Frontier Thesis said...

Russians still carry the Stalin posters...

Another classic case of the dangers inherent in Romanticism and nostalgia. "Bad air! Bad air!" as Nietzsche put it.

12/16/2007 10:40 PM

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