The systems-based approach to rationalism could not have foreseen Trump’s win (and neither could the behaviorist approach), but it predicts that policy, despite the pretense of populism, will resemble something similar to neoconservatism.
The Atomic Bomb as a Hungarian High School Science Fair Project? Hardly
Scott’s latest article, The Atomic Bomb Considered as Hungarian High School Science Fair Project, went viral, as most of his articles do. It’s as interesting dissecting why an article goes viral, than studying the content of the article itself. The title and the premise invokes mental imagery of a renegade band of Hungarian scientists working… Continue reading The Atomic Bomb as a Hungarian High School Science Fair Project? Hardly
A systems-based approach to rationalism
Most discussions of rationalism involve the study of cognitive biases, personality, and human behavior, but, imho, a ‘systems/logical’ approach to rationalism is more propitious than understanding cognitive biases and human behavior. I believe that rationalism is to choose the optimal choice of all available options. Once one acquires an understanding of the fundamentals of an… Continue reading A systems-based approach to rationalism
How the GOP ‘Establishment’ Lost Its Way
It’s hard to believe that just four and a half years ago, the GOP nominee was Mitt Romney, who is the polar opposite of Trump, whom no one saw coming. In 2015-2016, there was Pepe, 4chan pol memes, the alt-right, and frog Twitter. In 2012? Nothing. But what was the turning point? What was the… Continue reading How the GOP ‘Establishment’ Lost Its Way
Bryan Caplan and Dave Rubin: Anarcho-Capitalism, Economics, and Immigration (Full Interview)
I wanted to like this video more, but there is too much hand waving. It’s all based on assumptions. He doesn’t cite any studies/data except for a “1930’s charity”. Maybe he is right, maybe he is wrong. Who knows. Free markets produce improvements, but other times not. Yahoo Finance is still awful and has gotten… Continue reading Bryan Caplan and Dave Rubin: Anarcho-Capitalism, Economics, and Immigration (Full Interview)
The Inescapable Pull of Biology
This story is going hugely viral: In ‘Enormous Success,’ Scientists Tie 52 Genes to Human Intelligence This comment stood out: Ive known people who were related to certain very famous physicists and their intelligence was obviously much higher than most people. As in very conspicuous. There is no doubt thay intelligence is purely genetic. The… Continue reading The Inescapable Pull of Biology
How much should a philosopher be blamed for the consequences of his beliefs
Marxist Origins of Communism, I Communism is, he explains, “the positive transcendence of private property, or human self-estrangement, and therefore the real appropriation of the human essence by and for man… the complete return of man to himself as a social being…” (Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844) Innumerable social thinkers disagree with much of… Continue reading How much should a philosopher be blamed for the consequences of his beliefs
Collapse
Over the past few years, there has been considerable interest in the subject of ‘collapse’, whether it be the collapse of America as a superpower, economic collapse, or the collapse of civilization, in general. Reddit even has a popular sub devoted to discussing collapse, appropriately named /r/collapse, which has become a sub-culture in its own… Continue reading Collapse
Bitcoin is an asset class first and a currency second
With Bitcoin blasting past the $2,000 barrier, the doubters are at it again> Bitcoin is a Speculative Asset, Not a Currency, Says Economics Professor Bitcoin does not make a good currency for two key reasons: its unstable value and its slow transaction time. Dorfman claims the most important feature a currency has is being a… Continue reading Bitcoin is an asset class first and a currency second
Anti-democracy, part 4
This BS is not going to go away though, impeachment or not. Clinton has Saudis and emails; for Trump it’s Russians and memos. One problem with politics is that it attracts people who seek power and status, so they will do anything to attain and keep it, because power and status in democracies is fleeting.… Continue reading Anti-democracy, part 4