How I understood them

I have come across some interesting statements and I wish to throw them at you. Perhaps I should call out, Fore!  as they do in golf.

‘Economics is a highly sophisticated field of thought that is superb at explaining to policymakers precisely why the choices they made in the past were wrong’ – Ben Bernanke

That cleared up a whole lot. I have wondered why every change in economic or financial policy is always tagged a “reform”. It is because no matter the direction in which a “reform” effort was made, it was always the wrong choice at that time, as economics points out.

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‘We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us’ – Winston Churchill

I recall this statement every time I see the hideous glass curtain buildings that line the Delhi-Gurgaon road stretch. These buildings keep out everything except the heat of the sun. They are ovens, efficient enough to microwave your insides even as you work inside them. No wonder you become crusted enough to keep the real world outside.

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‘A nation that depends on others for its new basic scientific knowledge will be low in its industrial progress and weak in its competitive position in world trade, regardless of its mechanical skill’ – Vannevar Bush

I read this sentence in a book on cancer (by Siddhartha Mukherjee). Vannevar Bush did a complete turnaround, from a science skeptic in dealing with cancer to an ardent supporter of science in the war on cancer. It is most unfortunate that our so-called industry captains, who incessantly argue for employment orientation of engineering education, do not seem to have recognized the truth behind science education, the fodder for technological revolution.

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‘Leadership is about being the first to act’ – Edward Snowden

I do not know whether Edward Snowden was referring to himself in this sentence. I hope not. There have been many whistle-blowers before he came on the scene. True, what he blew his whistle on may trump many of the earlier instances. Yet, he is not the first. But, besides that, what he said carries more than a hint of truth. It is capsulized in the more pithy, “Speak truth to power!”

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‘Economic forecasters exist to make astrologers look good’ ­- Robert Reich

I let out a throaty laugh when I read this while taking a ride on the metro, which made me a curious object in the eyes of my fellow travelers! Looking back on it, though, I am doubtful whether Robert Reich, a top-notch economist was condemning economic forecasters or taking a dig at astrological ones. After all, “looking good” may even mean, and probably does, “Money for nothing!” as Dire Straits sang!

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‘What is it you really want so badly? Respect? Happiness? Immortality? Don't you know they are not for sale?’ – Mari Rhydwen

This was in an essay on travelling slow, with low-maintenance, no schedules, roughing it out etc. The takeaway from this, for me, is the realization that the ultimate attraction is in those things that you know you cannot buy. Wisdom is to know that anything you may buy now is the first push to buying something more, something better. If you bought respect, you would want more respect. So with immortality too! You would rather die with a Bharat Ratna attached to your name than a mere Padma Shri. Go figure.

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‘It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s hard to tell the truth without them’ – Andrejs Dunkels

I recall a particular incident whenever I read anything about statistics. Once upon a time I tried to suggest to someone close to me that going for statistics major at a college of Delhi University may not be the proverbial cul de sac. To be honest, I had no inkling of how prominent statistics was then, and is bound to become in short order, given the explosion of data. Call it a man’s intuition, with all its connotations of being wrong; no wonder my suggestion was rejected off hand by her mother. Now, it is statistics and statistics everywhere – elections, population demographics, economics and econometrics, genes, drug testing, forensic.

But, I cannot get myself to say, “I told you so!”

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‘[A]ny scientist who believes that he is completely immune to self-delusion, is deluding himself’ – Ruth Rosin

The above has become a favorite of mine. In no uncertain terms it puts scientists on a human pedestal. Scientists can be, and often are self-deluded. Yet, science as an enterprise carries a gene for self-correction. Such corrections may not happen today, but history shows it has happened with unfailing regularity, even if not periodicity.

Raghuram Ekambaram