society – Page 6 – Grey Enlightenment

The Great Decoupling

From AV: The Great Decoupling Ultimately, I think this whole debate on wages, STEM, wealth inequality, and automation boils down to IQ. The decoupling is also obvious when comparing advanced degree employment and income versus those with only high school or ‘some college’. It’s also pronounced between majors, with STEM earning more. these trends have… Continue reading The Great Decoupling

The Canonization of Dr. Nash

Yesterday, the Nobel Prize winning mathematician and economist John Nash Jr. and his wife died in a taxi accident. From the NY Times obituary: Receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Carnegie, he arrived at Princeton in 1948, a time of great expectations, when American children still dreamed of growing up to be physicists like… Continue reading The Canonization of Dr. Nash

Feeling Left Out?

The feeling of being ‘left out’ is something that one normally assumes applies to children and teens – you outgrow it as an adult, but the question, Do you feel like you’re missing out?, that I posed on Hacker Network apparently touched a nerve, as evidenced by all the replies: It seems like with all… Continue reading Feeling Left Out?

Salvation Through IQ

Americans but especially millennials are eschewing the traditional religions for a new ‘religion’ that celebrates not deities, sacred scriptures, or saints – but intellect, wealth, authenticity, and individualism. While idolatry is not a new concept, what makes this trend different is that unlike the young adults of of earlier generations who fawned over the ‘mainstream’… Continue reading Salvation Through IQ

We’re All Becoming Economists, Scientists, and Objectivists

It seems like everyone is discussing economics these days. I remember, as recently just a decade ago, it was mostly economists and finance guys who discussed economics, but now it’s pretty much every 20-something who is an armchair economist. Economics has become so pervasive in our everyday lives – from employment, to automation, to basic… Continue reading We’re All Becoming Economists, Scientists, and Objectivists

Ravi Batra’s Social Cycle

Perhaps America is a uniquely intellectual place. People complain about the dumbing down of America, but other countries are much worse. America’s competitive capitalist and winner-take-all culture rewards high-IQ and punishes mediocrity. Of course, all countries have dull people, and America is no exception, but America – by virtue of its free markets, stable currency,… Continue reading Ravi Batra’s Social Cycle

The Right Concedes the ‘Gay’ Wars

A recent discussion on Jack Donovan, author of The Way of Man, and my observation of how the men’s rights movement doesn’t hold his homosexuality against him got me thinking about how ‘right wing’ values have evolved over the years. I’ll admit it – we, ‘the right’, after a string of victories, including the 1996… Continue reading The Right Concedes the ‘Gay’ Wars

Billionaire: Your life is going to stink

Today’s good news: Your life is going to stink The left is wrongly interpreting this is mean Charlie Munger is pessimistic about America or as a criticism against the economy, as left wants America to be in decline and no longer exceptional. Actually, what he means is that while America is doing great in terms… Continue reading Billionaire: Your life is going to stink

The New Gilded Age; The Post-2008 Economy, Part 4

The news cycle over the past two weeks can be likened to watching paint dry or glaciers melt. 2013 was the year of congress, the sequester, debt ceiling and shutdowns; 2014 is dominated by sports (Donald Stirling, Ray Rice..stuff like that), police and race conflicts, Russia and the Middle East. The good news is the… Continue reading The New Gilded Age; The Post-2008 Economy, Part 4