Excerpt... Control: the fabulous thesis of Stokes.

from Phil Runkel on Wednesday 1 March 2000:

I'm wondering how to ascertain where the ideas came from that demanded new
controlled variables that led to new patterns of action to control them.
I am thinking, for example, of the recurring heresies -- which were
tolerated, sometimes, for a time, in some places in Europe and not in
others. Could the perception on the part of lots of people that
non-persecution was better than persecution have produced a reference
level for toleration on the parts of more and more people?

And happy birthday to Rick M.