Ideas Matter

Being Thankful for Good Diplomacy

In the U.S., it's Memorial Day. Americans use this day to honor U.S. military men and women who have made sacrifices for freedom and country. It's meant to honor the fallen, but people use it to thank the living too.

I'd like to use the day for something a little different. There are those who prevent war and seek peace. Maybe it would not be inappropriate to thank those working -- in light and shadow -- to see to it wars never happen in the first place.

The Inequality Fetish

Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett have assembled data they think show inequality -- in and of itself -- causes social problems. The most unavoidable problem with Wilkinson and Pickett’s case is that, when it comes to “the evidence,” they arrive at their conclusions about 'social well being' by comparing aggregated data from different countries.

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.

The Economics of Valentines Day

Off today, but didn't want to leave you without a nice nugget. Here's Christopher Coyne explaining the economics of Valentine's Day (which, don't forget, is tomorrow).

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:

How America Lost its Heart

This video is probably supposed to be funny. But it's not. Not at all. When a generation has lost its connection to the institutions that made its country great and prosperous, that generation is on its way to losing those institutions. This is what the U.S. public education system has wrought. Is it by design? (International readers: please forgive the focus on U.S. civic literacy.)

Recycling and Other Absurdities

This funny video from the folks at Portlandia is a spoof, but it's not so far from the reality in some cities. For a nice friday read, let me recommend a now-classic debunking of municipal recycling programs from Daniel K. Benjamin: Eight Great Myths of Recycling. It'll make you wonder if what's going on in this Portlandia bit is closer to sad reality than comedy fun.

The Problem with Chomsky: Ron Paul Edition

Noam Chomsky embodies the problem with progressivism: He confuses the symptoms of state power with the disease. Government power is the problem, after all, because there is no such thing as corporate power without state power. Without the state's favor, you have to be responsible to an army of customers. With a large, powerful state, it's always possible to buy favors. That's a tough thing to swallow if you're worldview is pegged to loathing corporations. But Chomsky has built his own intellectual empire on a notion that gets the causal story precisely backwards. 

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.