An Old Evil, Turned Upside Down

Submitted by Alex (United States), Jul 10, 2010 at 20:59

Hannah Arendt's classic book, "The Origins of Totalitarianism", is divided into three sections, on anti-Semitism, imperialism and then totalitarianism itself, each of which is headed by a summary quote from a historical actor relevant to that period. The section on imperialism carries the Cecil Rhodes quote, "I would annex the planets if I could". Perhaps a fitting quote for the current self-loathing era in the West in terms of its relations with the rest of the world should be, in light of this remarkable display by the head of NASA, "I would give the planets a hug if I could".

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