David Heinemeier Hansson misquotes George Gilder

Nov 11, 2024 · By Dennis Hackethal · Fork · Check another quote

Original text

TO THE MIND THAT doubts that decisive role of genius, courage, and chance in the past, the future usually seems impossible; the Western world appears doomed to decay and coercion as its growing populations press against a closing frontier, and science and technology meet the law of diminishing returns. A sociology of despair is emerging, based on spurious science, incomprehension of the hardships of all human history, and blindness to the perennial sources of human triumph. While physicists begin to concede freedom for microscopic particles, social scientists still begrudge it to human beings. Atomic structure is allowed room for the random and incalculable; but social structure is supposedly under siege by mechanistic forces of entropy and exhaustion, playing out their logic in a “closing circle” of ecological decline. These attitudes lead to systematic distortions of vision and policy. The mindset that prompts a man to see the future blighted by coercion and scarcity also inclines him to believe that the present can be made as free of risk and uncertainty as the past, receding unchangeably in the lenses of hindsight.
Gilder, George. Wealth and Poverty: A New Edition for the Twenty-First Century (pp. 335-336). Skyhorse Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Quote text

TO THE MIND THAT doubts that decisive role of genius, courage, and chance in the past, the future usually seems impossible; the Western world appears doomed to decay and coercion as its growing populations press against a closing frontier, and science and technology meet the law of diminishing returns. sociology of despair is emerging, based on spurious science, incomprehension of the hardships of all human history, and blindness to the perennial sources of human triumph. While physicists begin to concede freedom for microscopic particles, social scientists still begrudge it to human beings. Atomic structure is allowed room for the random and incalculable; but social structure is supposedly under siege by mechanistic forces of en tropy and exhaustion, playing out their logic in a "closing circle" of ecological decline. These attitudes lead to systematic distortions of vision and policy. The mindset that prompts man to see the future blighted by coercion and scarcity also inclines him to believe that the present can be made as free of risk and uncertainty as the past, receding unchangeably in the lenses of hindsight.
David Heinemeier Hansson, https://x.com/dhh/status/1855767468016537871
Ellipsis used (if any): ‘[...]’
Found 8 issue(s) using regular expression . and Myers algorithm, underlined in wavy red. 
TO‧THE‧MIND‧THAT‧doubts‧that‧decisive‧role‧of‧genius,‧courage,‧and‧chance‧in‧the‧past,‧the‧future‧usually‧seems‧impossible;‧the‧Western‧world‧appears‧doomed‧to‧decay‧and‧coercion‧as‧its‧growing‧populations‧press‧against‧a‧closing‧frontier,‧and‧science‧and‧technology‧meet‧the‧law‧of‧diminishing‧returns.‧A‧sociology‧of‧despair‧is‧emerging,‧based‧on‧spurious‧science,‧incomprehension‧of‧the‧hardships‧of‧all‧human‧history,‧and‧blindness‧to‧the‧perennial‧sources‧of‧human‧triumph.‧While‧physicists‧begin‧to‧concede‧freedom‧for‧microscopic‧particles,‧social‧scientists‧still‧begrudge‧it‧to‧human‧beings.‧Atomic‧structure‧is‧allowed‧room‧for‧the‧random‧and‧incalculable;‧but‧social‧structure‧is‧supposedly‧under‧siege‧by‧mechanistic‧forces‧of‧en‧tropy‧and‧exhaustion,‧playing‧out‧their‧logic‧in‧a‧“"closing‧circle”"‧of‧ecological‧decline.‧↵

↵
These‧attitudes‧lead‧to‧systematic‧distortions‧of‧vision‧and‧policy.‧The‧mindset‧that‧prompts‧a‧man‧to‧see‧the‧future‧blighted‧by‧coercion‧and‧scarcity‧also‧inclines‧him‧to‧believe‧that‧the‧present‧can‧be‧made‧as‧free‧of‧risk‧and‧uncertainty‧as‧the‧past,‧receding‧unchangeably‧in‧the‧lenses‧of‧hindsight.

Explanation

# Part Valid? Explanation
1 
TO‧THE‧MIND‧THAT‧doubts‧that‧decisive‧role‧of‧genius,‧courage,‧and‧chance‧in‧the‧past,‧the‧future‧usually‧seems‧impossible;‧the‧Western‧world‧appears‧doomed‧to‧decay‧and‧coercion‧as‧its‧growing‧populations‧press‧against‧a‧closing‧frontier,‧and‧science‧and‧technology‧meet‧the‧law‧of‧diminishing‧returns.‧
2 
A‧
 × no Deletions must be indicated, eg by ‘[...]’ or [replacement].
3 
sociology‧of‧despair‧is‧emerging,‧based‧on‧spurious‧science,‧incomprehension‧of‧the‧hardships‧of‧all‧human‧history,‧and‧blindness‧to‧the‧perennial‧sources‧of‧human‧triumph.‧While‧physicists‧begin‧to‧concede‧freedom‧for‧microscopic‧particles,‧social‧scientists‧still‧begrudge‧it‧to‧human‧beings.‧Atomic‧structure‧is‧allowed‧room‧for‧the‧random‧and‧incalculable;‧but‧social‧structure‧is‧supposedly‧under‧siege‧by‧mechanistic‧forces‧of‧en
4 
‧
 × no A single added space must either follow or precede a valid insertion.
5 
tropy‧and‧exhaustion,‧playing‧out‧their‧logic‧in‧a‧
6 
“
 × no Deletions must be indicated, eg by ‘[...]’ or [replacement].
7 
"
 × no Insertions must be surrounded by [brackets].
8 
closing‧circle
9 
”
 × no Deletions must be indicated, eg by ‘[...]’ or [replacement].
10 
"
 × no Insertions must be surrounded by [brackets].
11 
‧of‧ecological‧decline.
12 
‧↵
× no Insertions cannot contain linebreaks.
13 
↵
These‧attitudes‧lead‧to‧systematic‧distortions‧of‧vision‧and‧policy.‧The‧mindset‧that‧prompts‧
14 
a‧
 × no Deletions must be indicated, eg by ‘[...]’ or [replacement].
15 
man‧to‧see‧the‧future‧blighted‧by‧coercion‧and‧scarcity‧also‧inclines‧him‧to‧believe‧that‧the‧present‧can‧be‧made‧as‧free‧of‧risk‧and‧uncertainty‧as‧the‧past,‧receding‧unchangeably‧in‧the‧lenses‧of‧hindsight.

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