Chance Wolves

Herding With My “Enlightened Wolves”

Renée Worringer | Active History | 24th October 2024 | U

Potted history of herding dogs. In the UK, where wolves were eradicated, shepherds bred dogs like the Border Collie to herd from a distance, with a “wide outrun and wolfish hunting stance”. In Europe, where wolves had not been eradicated, dogs were bred to patrol closely and ensure that the herd didn’t stray far. The German Shepherd is perhaps most famous for this style, called “tending” (2,200 words)

The Forces Of Chance

Brian Klaas | Aeon | 29th October 2024 | U

The social sciences need to take chaos more seriously. They have largely treated the world as “one that can be understood, controlled, and bent to our whims. It can’t. We produce too many models that are often wrong and rarely useful. When we try to explain our social world, we foolishly ignore the flukes. Confidence in a predictable future is the province of charlatans and fools” (4,900 words)