What dictates the outcome of wars, what shapes empires, what moves the flow of history? 

Great leaders, brilliant ideas, and new technology are important factors, but they are only relevant in the context of the minutiae. Leaders are only as good as their followers. Grand strategy cannot out maneuver disease, low morale, or the weather. Technology is contingent on the ability and mentality of its users. This is why dictators hold elections. Why cartels and terrorist organizations provide food, aid, and security. Why Sun Tzu does not recommend assassinating successful generals, but sabotaging soldiers. Even when they are reduced to numbers, it is the general population that shapes our world. It is the minutiae that dictates the flow of history.

If we want to understand the world today and make predictions about tomorrow, we need to pay attention to the little things, to the details. As humans we have a tendency to lean into simple narratives, to reduce complexity, and trust compelling stories. When analyzing the chaos of the world today, it is all too easy to limit our focus to major players and to reduce complexity. Even when looking for nuance, we ignore the seemingly insignificant and miss the context. Not only does this damage our predictive power and guarantee miscalculations, it wrongfully portrays the average person as irrelevant and creates artificial limits on autonomy while obfuscating responsibility. 

We at The Minutiae hope to play a small part in providing insight into often overlooked details and perspectives. In doing so, we will give scope to the foundational and philosophical beliefs of individuals around the world. We will encourage writers and readers alike to engage with difficult concepts. We will contribute to a more accurate understanding of the world.