“It is only rather recently that science has begun to make peace with its magical roots. Until a few decades ago, it was common for histories of science either to commence decorously with Copernicus's heliocentric theory or to laud the… — Philip Ball Copy Share Image
“A ruler who failed to manage China’s waters didn’t just risk social decay. He exposed himself to the charge that heaven itself had lost… — Philip Ball Copy Share Image
What is striking is these things [patterns in nature, e.g. fish stripes] do look like something that has been crafted. We are conditioned to… — Philip Ball Copy Share Image
“It is only rather recently that science has begun to make peace with its magical roots. Until a few decades ago, it was common… — Philip Ball Copy Share Image
“water is so protean a medium that it can be made to fit any purpose.” — Philip Ball Copy Share Image
“Guan Zhong explains (as the fourth-century-BC Guanzi attests) that management of water is the key to maintaining social order. There are ‘five harmful influences’… — Philip Ball Copy Share Image
“regimes of the twentieth century depended not just on repression and control of the populace but on the active construction of national myth. Here… — Philip Ball Copy Share Image
![“What is striking is these things [patterns in nature, e.g. fish stripes] do look like something that has been crafted. We are conditioned to think that a pattern needs a patterner and so at first glance it seems incredible to us that nature is able to do this, without any sort of blueprint…” quote by Philip Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fa0/philip-ball-54140_able_what-is-striking-is-these-things-pattern_1710677.jpg)
