A Biologist's Approach to Global Affairs

The biologist's approach to answering questions is different from that of the political scientist, who typically stacks facts and premises in an orderly fashion that preferably feeds into a grand overarching theory. But the principle of Occam's razor -- a scientist favorite that argues for simpler theories being preferable to more complex ones -- only works in areas that are simple enough to be explained by the theories put forth. Or, in the words of Albert Einstein, "Everything should be as simple as it can be, but not simpler." And when it comes to human affairs, even the simplest explanation is still dauntingly complex....