With the stock market constantly making new highs, for the 8th year and counting, there is a lot of discussion online about when the next financial crisis will be. Based on the evidence, the next financial crisis will not be for a long time. As measured by low interest rates and strong corporate profits &… Continue reading Next Financial Crisis?
The Polgar Prodigies–Is Genius Born or Made
I’m sure many have heard the story of László Polgár, who purportedly raised his three daughters, Zsuzsa, Zsófia, and Judit, to become chess masters, with Judit Pulgar, the most successful of the three, becoming the greatest female chess player in the world. This story is often retold as evidence that child prodigies and geniuses are… Continue reading The Polgar Prodigies–Is Genius Born or Made
HBD-as-Destiny Thesis (part 5 of predicting series)
Pinterest Raises $150M at $12 billion valuation That so obvious, inevitable web 2.0 ‘bubble’ just refuses to burst. Valuations refuse to fall despite so many pundits predicting they would. The past seven or so years, every single thing that the media called a bubble, they got wrong. That includes the post-2008 bull market, Facebook stock,… Continue reading HBD-as-Destiny Thesis (part 5 of predicting series)
Defending Postmodernism
In an earlier post, perhaps I was too hard on postmodernism. From Jordan Peterson: He says they don’t have gratitude, presumably directed at millennials who are being brainwashed with postmodernism but unaware of it, but also directed at the postmodernists themselves, who are doing the brainwashing. Regarding socioeconomic outcomes, in agreement with Peterson, the postmodernist… Continue reading Defending Postmodernism
Belated election analysis: was it just luck?
There is no shortage of post-hoc analysis in explaining why Hillary lost, or why Trump won. But what if it’s just luck? Because we know Trump won, we look for justifications after the fact for why he won. And had he lost, we would be looking for justifications for why he lost. Trump’s win, contrary… Continue reading Belated election analysis: was it just luck?
Jordan Peterson and Postmodernism
My approach is respectful and sincere, and rooted in my love of truth. While I do think that many college students are prone to over-theorizing and zealous, hot-headed action, I don’t see it as a phenomenon specifically associated with postmodern thinkers. I also believe that Postmodern theorists, including Foucault and Derrida, are largely on the… Continue reading Jordan Peterson and Postmodernism
Is Free Trade worse than Communism?
The crux of his argument is that communism is superior to free markets, because the latter necessitates the forcible migration of people, thus dissolving families, nations, and communities. For example, if a Mexican in Mexico earns $10/hour to build a house and an American earns $30/hour, under globalization and free trade it’s advantageous for the… Continue reading Is Free Trade worse than Communism?
The Permanent Ascendance of the Status Quo
By The Money Illusion: One by one, the anti-EMH arguments collapse This is a really great article and agrees with everything I have been trying to convey for the past six or so years. It’s too bad it’s marred by the last paragraph that detracts from the article. In the context of the article, the… Continue reading The Permanent Ascendance of the Status Quo
The importance of IQ
From Vox Day, published in 2012 The importance of IQ: For some reason, the discussion of IQ differences makes people uncomfortable; it doesn’t matter how obviously intelligent one is, people still find it offensive in a way that they never find a tall man being straightforward about his height is. This is strange, because one… Continue reading The importance of IQ
Stuck in the quicksand of philosophy
The System that Wasn’t There: Ayn Rand’s Failed Philosophy (and why it matters) -Nicholas McGinnis Unsurprisingly, the politicians and businessmen who admire Rand focus on such policy recommendations and are rather less familiar with, for instance, her grounds for rejecting the analytic-synthetic distinction. There’s a radical disconnect between the impact her political thought and the… Continue reading Stuck in the quicksand of philosophy