Isaiah Berlin once stated that "Tolstoy was by nature a fox, but believed in being a hedgehog," referring to the greek poet Archilochus: The fox knows many things but the hedgehog knows one big thing." (Charles Moore)
"Hedgehogs have a grand theory they are happy to extend into many domains, relishing its parsimony, expressing their views with great confidence. Foxes, on the other hand, are skeptical about grand theories, diffident in their forecasts, and ready to adjust their ideas based on actual events. Hedgehogs don't notice or care when they are wrong. Foxes learn. Hedgehogs are great proponents, but foxes are invariably better forecasters and policy makers." (Stewart Brand, Whole Earth Discipline.) Who do we know and what are they?
"Hedgehogs have a grand theory they are happy to extend into many domains, relishing its parsimony, expressing their views with great confidence. Foxes, on the other hand, are skeptical about grand theories, diffident in their forecasts, and ready to adjust their ideas based on actual events. Hedgehogs don't notice or care when they are wrong. Foxes learn. Hedgehogs are great proponents, but foxes are invariably better forecasters and policy makers." (Stewart Brand, Whole Earth Discipline.) Who do we know and what are they?
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