July 17, 2006
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Evolution, Not Revolution
I believe the argument that Matt’s McClatchy colleague Howard Weaver makes in this post can be generalized beyond the news business:
But our change will be more lasting and better constructed if we apply the time-tested lessons of evolution and eschew the flashier but less productive posture of revolution. As we apply lessons learned from the changing climate to adapt our sturdy, battle-hardened structures, we’ll end up with operations that meet changed conditions without abandoning valuable lessons from our past.
He talks about punctuated equilibrium — the theory that evolution is not the gradual, continuous process we sometimes imagine, but actually a really fast survival response to a changed environment (e.g. meteor strike, Google).
Personally I am waiting for the equilibrium of American government to get punctuated. Viva la evolution!
P.S. Howard also links to Amazon in a way I haven’t seen before; it’s pretty cool and probably more useful than the normal book listing page.
Comments
Re punctuating the government: Makes you wish for the British useage for period, doesn't it? "Full stop."