Ideas Matter

Kurzweil on the Not-so-distant Future

The stuff Ray Kurzweil is talking about is getting ready to hit the mass market. We're already seeing movement interfaces in game consoles like the Kinect for XBox. Eyewear displays are ready to hit as soon as the next calendar year. All these technologies might be on different tracks now. But they're getting ready to converge in really interesting ways.

The Question of Happiness: A Funny, Interesting Friday Video

It's Friday. You may be saying "TGIF" to yourself because you don't like where you're sitting. If that's the case, watch this video. Even if you're pretty happy, it's worth a look. Then join me below the fold.

When Would You Use Violence?

Hillel the Elder -- an ancient Rabbi -- said: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn." It doesn't get any simpler than that. I don't want to wax too idealistic. But what if everyone practiced Rabbi Hillel's version of the golden rule? Really, this is the essence of libertarianism. We also call it the non-harm principle. What if everyone practiced it?

Weep for the Young, Ignorance is Winning

Kids are cute. Birk Baehr's little Buncombe County, NC accent is cute, too. But what he is saying isn't very cute at all. It shows that indoctrination -- bad-economics-cum-eco-religion -- is getting to the young. And you better believe this has been the plan all along.

But, honestly, what's so objectionable about what this kid is saying?

John Mackey: Can Capitalism be "Conscious"?

Is the purpose of a business to maximize shareholder value? Yes and no. Obviously profit is one side of the coin. But as John Mackey of Whole Foods reminds us, purpose is the other. Both having and expressing that deeper purpose makes for a more holistic understanding of an organization and it's surrounding ecosystem. Ironically, that makes companies more profitable.

Entrepreneurs who understand both sides of the capitalist coin will create long term value and make the world a better place. But some people think that John Mackey's "conscious capitalism" is too squishy -- that it's really just good branding.

The Nature of Altruism

Are people basically self-interested or basically altruistic? The answer is not so simple. If you get through the ten minute Leavitt and Dubner (Freakonomics) video above, you might ask whether it's better to be altruistic or to seem altrustic -- a question that goes back thousands of years.

Then, you might enjoy this excerpt from an article I wrote in The American magazine on the subject of the Ultimatum Game and wider implications for questions about envy and equality:

The Tale of the Slave

As a fan of Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State and Utopia (1974), I was delighted to come across this "Tale of the Slave" video presentation. Here's the original text, so you can follow along. It's a terrific thought experiment.

The Parasite Generation

Normally I resist putting up clips from news programs. But occassionally, even in the news, ideas matter. One professor in Florida -- which I realize is a small sample -- has discovered that most of his students have a sense of entitlement that extends far beyond what they expect from their parents.

Make Them Squirm: The "Tax Me More" Club

In this great video, Michelle Fields asks the "tax me more coalition" to contribute voluntarily to the Department of Treasury. Notice the reaction. It's a perfect example of do as I say, not as I do. Or worse: I won't do it if they don't have to, which is something one is likely to hear in a primary school.

Socialism for Everyone! (We're all on the take)

Socialism for everyone! Andrew Klaven does a great job of blending humor and truth. He lays it out in about 5 minutes. And that's the key to great memetics. 

What's also great about this video is how effectively Klaven communicates the message: These are two factions who depend on a large-but-shrinking constituency of working people -- i.e. you and me. Their differences are only differences of degree. What they expect (and often get) is not only wrong in principle, but destructive. Both represent the causes of our economic problems.

I'm excited about how the idea of crony capitalism is really starting to get into the public consciousness now. The trouble is, so many in the public have become dependents themselves.