His advice for policymaking is simple: Prioritize realism and resilience. This means adapting infrastructure, strengthening flood protection, investing in technology, and most importantly, exercising humility before the complexity of nature.
Astrophysicist Dr. Willie Soon Challenges The Climate Consensus … It’s The Sun, Not CO2
Astrophysicist Dr. Willie Soon Challenges The Climate Consensus … It’s The Sun, Not CO2
15 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of climate change, economics of education, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: climate alarmism
JOHN RAINE: DRIVE CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY WITH EVIDENCE NOT ALARMISM
14 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of climate change, economics of education, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: climate alarmism
The Challenge of Opening Closed Minds The media and many politicians worldwide continue to push a narrative of impending climate catastrophe. Whether or not you are a climate change pessimist, we live on a gradually warming planet and will need to adapt to this. As global temperature rise continues, alarmists will continue to ascribe much…
JOHN RAINE: DRIVE CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY WITH EVIDENCE NOT ALARMISM
The Rise and Fall of the American Bar Association
11 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of education, law and economics Tags: creative destruction
Below is my column in The Hill on the decline of the American Bar Association and the move in various…
The Rise and Fall of the American Bar Association
Three Royal Societies abandon their mission to promote global and universalist science
09 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: conjecture and refutation, philosophy of science
A Kiwi who wishes to remain anonymous (of course) sent me this link to an announcement of a meeting of three Royal (Scientific) Societies: those of New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. The screenshot below also links to two other short documents, a communiqué and a statement by the Presidents of all three Societies. The object…
Three Royal Societies abandon their mission to promote global and universalist science
Harvey vs Wilson on western culture
07 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics Tags: Age of Enlightenment
Simon Wilson, like many on the hard left, sees the West as basically malignant, and that its achievements were based on oppression. This is not an uncommon view from the left. David Harvey does an excellent lengthy response to Wilson’s assertions. Read it all, but here are some key aspects: The article argues that Hammurabi…
Harvey vs Wilson on western culture
Climate Doomsday Prophecy Peddled By Academia Retracted In Disgrace
07 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, climate change, econometerics, economics of climate change, economics of education, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, politics - USA Tags: academic bias, climate activists
A widely-referenced 2024 study that predicted massive global economic damages due to climate change has now been retracted, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Wednesday.
Climate Doomsday Prophecy Peddled By Academia Retracted In Disgrace
“Fight Fiercely Harvard”: Harvard Club of New York Cancels Dershowitz Book Event
28 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left
The Harvard Club of New York is being accused of censorship after abruptly cancelling a book event featuring famed Harvard…
“Fight Fiercely Harvard”: Harvard Club of New York Cancels Dershowitz Book Event
My excellent Conversation with Cass Sunstein
27 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in Austrian economics, economics of education
Cass was in top form, and so we went on for almost two hours. In his Substack he described it as “The most fun interview I have ever done.” Here is the audio, video, and transcript. Here is part of the episode summary: Tyler and Cass discuss whether liberalism is self-undermining or simply vulnerable to…
My excellent Conversation with Cass Sunstein
Triggernometry debates sex with Neil deGrasse Tyson
18 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of crime, economics of education, gender, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: free speech, gender gap, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
Here we have the Triggernometry duo (Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster) questioning astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about his views on gender (the full interview is here). Tyson seems quite agitated, loud, and even patronizing, but largely misses the points that gender-critical people are making. For example, he begins with his infamous argument that sex (or gender; he…
Triggernometry debates sex with Neil deGrasse Tyson
*The Science of Second Chances*
15 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of crime, economics of education, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, occupational choice Tags: criminal deterrence
The author is economist Jennifer Doleac, and the subtitle is A Revolution in Criminal Justice. Excerpt: We found that adding anyone charged with a felony to the law enforcement DNA database in Denmark reduced future criminal convictions by over 40 percent. Again, people responded to the higher probability of getting caught by committing fewer cimres. …
*The Science of Second Chances*
Another gender gap
15 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of education, gender, human capital Tags: gender gap
Best take yet on Mātauranga Māori and Science
14 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of education, politics - New Zealand Tags: conjecture and refutation, philosophy of science
A great article by Zoran Rakovic. He starts by defining science: “Science must begin with myths,” Karl Popper wrote, “and with the criticism of myths.” The operative word is criticism. Science doesn’t function on reverence; it thrives on tension, on the perpetual risk of being wrong. That’s what makes it public. I don’t need a PhD […]
Best take yet on Mātauranga Māori and Science
BBC Finds Presenter in Violation of Network Standards in Correcting “Pregnant People” Reference on Air
09 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of education, gender, television Tags: free speech, media bias, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
There is a controversy at the BBC over a correction made by presenter Martine Croxall on air when she changed a reference to “pregnant people” to “women.” The network later received 20 complaints and agreed that Croxall had violated network policies. (For full disclosure, I previously worked as the legal analyst for BBC).
BBC Finds Presenter in Violation of Network Standards in Correcting “Pregnant People” Reference on Air
Some Links
09 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of education, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, politics - USA
TweetPhil Magness and Mike Ferguson discuss the recent oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court case against Trump’s use of IEEPA to impose tariffs. National Review‘s Dan McLaughlin dives deeply into what’s now on the U.S. Supreme Court’s plate regarding Trump’s IEEPA tariffs. Two slices: There are, however, two related problems for the government with…
Some Links
Supreme Court Issues Major Opinion on Transgender Identity and the Trump Passport Policy
09 Nov 2025 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of education, gender, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: free speech, gender gap, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
In a significant win for the Trump Administration, the United States Supreme Court issued an opinion on Thursday afternoon on the Trump Administration’s requirement that passport holders use their sex assigned at birth and that such requirements do not violate equal protection guarantees. While a brief, unsigned opinion issued on the interim docket, it represents […]
Supreme Court Issues Major Opinion on Transgender Identity and the Trump Passport Policy
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