29 January 2016

Prelapsarian: Characteristic of the time before the fall of man; unspoiled; innocent

• The notion that walling out immigrants from within or beyond Europe's borders will return the country to a Prelapsarian state, in which human labor will once more be the center of a brisk economy, is fantastical.  (Andrew Solomon)
• This is an important reminder that the world before email was no prelapsarian paradise. (Cal Newport in A World Without Email pg. 69) 17/11/2022

Forestall: Prevent or obstruct ( an anticipated event or action) by taking advance action. 

• By refusing to look at the rest of the globe, one forestalls seeing oneself. (Andrew Solomon) 

Desolation: A state of complete emptiness or destruction; great unhappiness or loneliness. 

• The ability to tolerate or even celebrate coinciding identities is one of the hallmarks of sophistication; the absence of that ability is a mark of desolation. (Andrew Solomon)