Unlike most elites, Charles Wheelan freely admits that he was “born on third base.” Although he probably inherited less than celebrities like Donald Trump or Bill Gates, Wheelan was born into a stable family that could afford to send him…
Blog Archives
The danger of the linear-thinking fallacy and the diminishing marginal utility of alcohol consumption
Posted in Labor, Public Finance
Noblesse Oblige
Spider-man has often spoken the moral principle that power brings responsibility. Clint Hamada CC BY NC This moral principle is rarely taught in moral philosophy, but it is an important idea that was the basis for the principle of noblesse…
Posted in Discrimination
To Trade Is Human
What makes humans different from animals? Anthropologists used to say that humans are unique in using tools (but it turns out that many animals use tools). Linguists used to think that language is unique to humans (but other animals have…
Posted in Development, Globalization & International
The Box
The Economist magazine explains containerization: [C]ontainers—uniform boxes that can be easily moved between lorry, train and ship—have reshaped global trade over the past few decades. Why…? Uniform metal containers were invented by Malcom McLean …in 1956. Before then goods were…
Posted in Globalization & International
Why is Trump’s America upset?
Charles Murray recently wrote a Wall Street Journal essay arguing that, “Trumpism is an expression of the legitimate anger that many Americans feel about the course that the country has taken.” In particular, he says that increasing inequality since the 1970s has caused white…
Posted in Inequality, Public Finance
Trump & Sanders are both reactions to mmutilitarian policies
John B. Judis recently wrote a good analysis of populism on the right (Trump) and on the left (Sanders). This updates some of the themes in his book, The Paradox of American Democracy, in which he: presents a familiar diagnosis of American…
Posted in Medianism, Public Finance
Why do deer stand in roads and curiously watch the oncoming headlights?
Jared Diamond wrote one of my favorite books, Guns Germs and Steel, which explains why Eurasians conquered and colonized the rest of the world rather than vice versa. It also explains why Europeans didn’t displace the local populations anywhere except…
Posted in Development
Medianism 