Today in world-historical perspective (why not?)

[American Dream]

...should I spend $100 on Immanuel Wallerstein books this weekend?.

It could be money very well spent, I would say. Don't forget Andre Gunder Frank, though! His work on Dependency Theory really helps explain a lot about unequal development, too.

You can find a ton of good stuff for free, from both of these important thinkers, all over the Róbinson Rojas Archive

[JackRiddler]

The downside of online discussion forums is the inability to physically slap someone, which is my usual response to such "everything is everything" annihilation of perspective coming from a primate who will be defecating in the next few hours.

Oh baby! Give it to me!!! That's my response more usually to brain-in-a-vat stuff a la Bostrom, however.

Lovely.

People generally only visit me once and I'm fine with that. Everything is infinitely meaningless and perfect, but there's still dishes and laundry to do. Peak moments are supposed to be rare.

Where'd you get that quote about David Rockefeller and the pyramid from?

Back to the subject at hand, though...should I spend $100 on Immanuel Wallerstein books this weekend?

Do it for me. I wish I had a few hundred for another round of book buying with just six weeks to go before grad school.

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[Wombaticus Rex]

Where'd you get that quote about David Rockefeller and the pyramid from?

Myself, shamefully.

http://www.brainsturbator.com/posts/243 ... -the-ghost

Thanks for the nudge on Wallerstein. I think after Mumford I need to maintain the high level attention span such books require.

AD, thank you for recommending Frank. Dependency Theory has always struck me as both important and fairly common sense.

[Ben D]

I'm fine with Ben's periodic reminders that he has opted to give up on research for the warm shores of Samadhi.

I don't think it is remotely relevant to the OP regarding "world-historical perspective" but I'm not mad about it.

The downside of online discussion forums is the inability to physically slap someone, which is my usual response to such "everything is everything" annihilation of perspective coming from a primate who will be defecating in the next few hours.

Thank you for your support on my research Wombie.....but I wonder about the irony of the rest of your post...i mean the irony of your adverse reaction to the lack of perspective of a "everything is everything" approach followed by the implication of us all being just defecating primates.

What's more, fyi I have never suggested or implied that "everything is everything", nor that all humans beings are equal, that is clearly not the case...just that from the least evolved to the most evolved of the human race, there is an underlying common source, which from such vantage point of view, reality can be apprehended directly, not indirectly through an infinite number of indirect interpretations in time and space.

So while I thank you for your tolerance and understanding of where I'm coming from, I note your concern about relevancy.

I also note that there are some here, not you Wombat, who are still in "the one trick pony" mental state of evolution and one in particular goes bananas when confronted with a mental fork in the road....even while they are begging for a better brain.....so I will refrain from commenting further...