Nov 2, 2019Reid Hoffman and Patrick Collison, annotatedTheir conversation is available on YouTube. I was particularly struck by how they approach learning from other people. I think of this as social epistemology. My notes here are focused on the lessons about social epistemology that I took away from watching the conversation. Ordinary epistemology is concerned with…Startup7 min read
Sep 7, 2019Persuasion Mode, Demonization ModeI will describe two modes of political discourse, which I call persuasion mode and demonization mode. In persuasion mode, we treat people on the other side with respect, we listen to their logical and factual presentations, and we respond with logical and factual presentations of our own. …Politics5 min read
Jul 30, 2019Three Fundamental Concepts of Social Science1. Causal Density (and complexity and cultural evolution) — There are many causal factors that affect human behavior and human interaction. As a result, “social science” is not nearly as reliable as physical science. We can speculate on what causes political and economic events, but we cannot prove our hypotheses. …Economics3 min read
Jul 19, 2019Peter Thiel and Eric Weinstein, annotatedThe full podcast lasts three hours. This essay selects certain themes and offers my own perspective. First theme: stagnation Around minute three, Thiel introduces the theme that there has been stagnation in science, technology, and the economy. He and Weinstein share that view, which is an outlier view. Thiel says…Economics9 min read
Jun 13, 2019Three Problems with CapitalismCapitalist societies have three problems: They elevate material values over others. They create winners and losers. They undermine communities. We have known about these problems for centuries. This essay will explain why they persist. Elevating material values Who receives high status in society? Cultures can vary. We may assign high status to the…Economics4 min read
Jun 11, 2019The Shock of Women and Minorities on CampusOn June 9, Erik Torenberg and I had a long and stimulating conversation for his podcast. As of this writing, I am not sure what he will keep and what he will edit out. One of the questions he asked was about the origins of the Social Justice movement. How…Racism5 min read
May 23, 2019How Corporations are ManagedIt is natural to assume that management is management, whether you are running a small business or a big corporation. But that is not the case. They are qualitatively different. With a small enterprise, the business is visible to the owner/manager. In contrast, much of a large corporation is invisible…Business5 min read
Apr 1, 2019Modern Ponzi TheoryRecently, some overconfident economists have advanced the idea that the United States government should not bother trying to rein in its Budget deficit. In the press, the leading overconfident economist is Stony Brook University economics professor Stephanie Kelton, the proponent of the heterodox thesis she calls Modern Monetary Theory. …Economics6 min read
Jan 8, 2019The Trouble with Conservatives these daysThere is a tension in American life between goods that need to be kept in some balance, and we have often failed to find that balance lately. — Yuval Levin Yuval Levin belongs to a political faction that I think of as conservatives in exile. They struggle to find a…2016 Election6 min read
Jan 6, 2019Does Prosperity Ruin Social Connection?Are the circumstances that promote material well-being the opposite of those that promote tight social connection? My take-away from listening to this fascinating discussion between Russ Roberts and Sebastian Junger is that such a trade-off does exist. Their conversation centers around Junger’s book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. By tight…Culture3 min read