A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.
Abrams believed draftees undermined discipline and unit cohesion, so he redesigned the Army around high-quality volunteers, proving the draft was neither necessary nor desirable long-term and establishing a model that the other services ultimately adopted.
Great Britain knew that it had a problem and that its calendar was less accurate, but inertia is a powerful force, and calendar reform was deferred until 1751.
Working in Africa often means operating within ecosystems shaped by decades of entrenched thinking. Some of it is rooted in ignorance, others in racism, and most in systems historically designed to extract from the continent rather than build within it. Challenging those assumptions is rarely comfortable, but it is often necessary.
4mo ago
Underscored — save the words that stop you in your tracks.
