An argument against the use of personal definitions of words can be framed around the concepts of communication efficacy, shared meaning, and societal cohesion. 1. Undermines Effective Communication The primary purpose of language is to facilitate clear communication between individuals. Personal definitions of words undermine this goal by distorting the shared meaning that allows people […]
Against personal definitions
Against personal definitions
02 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of information, economics of media and culture, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, property rights Tags: economics of languages, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
The woke to a tee
30 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, liberalism, Marxist economics, movies, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, television Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Should we keep the wealthy non-diversified? (from my email)
27 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, entrepreneurship, history of economic thought, human capital, income redistribution, industrial organisation, labour economics, labour supply, liberalism, Marxist economics, occupational choice, poverty and inequality, Public Choice Tags: top 1%
Byrne Hobart writes to me: One of the purposes of inheritance taxes is to avoid compounding intergenerational wealth. But The Missing Billionaires points out that if all of America’s millionaires had put their money in broad market indices in 1900, their heirs would number 16,000 billionaires, even accounting for taxes, splitting estates among multiple children, etc. So […]
Should we keep the wealthy non-diversified? (from my email)
Easter Island Ecological Collapse Debunked
21 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in economic history, law and economics, liberalism, war and peace Tags: Easter Island, economics of colonialism, economics of slavery
Jared Diamond is a polymath (biochemistry, physiology, ornithology, ecology; MacArthur Genius Grant; etc.) perhaps best known for his Guns, Germs and Steel (1997). In that book (which I read) he proposed that shared learnings and practices across the vast Eurasian continent led to optimized food crops and agricultural practices for Eurasian peoples, which in turn […]
Easter Island Ecological Collapse Debunked
Treaty of Waitangi legal “experts” have misunderstood its economic rationale – and endangered national prosperity
20 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic history, history of economic thought, liberalism, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: constitutional law
Rob MacCulloch writes – The underlying aim of the Treaty of Waitangi, at least in economic terms, was to promote a higher standard of living for Māori and non-Māori alike. This article’s purpose is to argue how its words were unambiguously designed to achieve that purpose, but have since been hijacked by political operatives and NZ’s legal […]
Treaty of Waitangi legal “experts” have misunderstood its economic rationale – and endangered national prosperity
“A Symbol of Imperial Violence and Colonialism”: Activists at UPenn Deface Statue of Benjamin Franklin
19 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: age of empires, economics of colonialism, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Benjamin Franklin once wrote “Love your Enemies, for they tell you your Faults.” Yet, Franklin might be a bit confused by his critics at the University of Pennsylvania. Anti-Israel activists vandalized his statue as a symbol of colonialism. The man who was instrumental in the Declaration of Independence against the British Empire is being denounced […]
“A Symbol of Imperial Violence and Colonialism”: Activists at UPenn Deface Statue of Benjamin Franklin
“A Better Deterrence”: Hillary Clinton Calls for the Arrest of Americans Spreading Disinformation
18 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economics of information, economics of media and culture, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, television Tags: 2024 presidential election, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Hillary Clinton has long been one of the most anti-free speech figures in American politics, including calling upon European officials to force Elon Musk to censor American citizens under the infamous Digital Services Act (DSA). She is now suggesting the arrest of Americans who spread what she considers disinformation. It is a crushingly ironic moment…
“A Better Deterrence”: Hillary Clinton Calls for the Arrest of Americans Spreading Disinformation
Australia Introduces Legislation to Outlaw Disagreeing With the Government
17 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, economics of media and culture, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia Tags: free speech, media bias, political correctness, regressive left
As Australia approaches its next cycle of state and federal elections, the radical Aussie Federal Government is pushing laws which could silence media criticism of their key policy positions.
Australia Introduces Legislation to Outlaw Disagreeing With the Government
It Happened Again! The New York Times Writes about Venezuela’s Collapse and Fails to Mention Socialism
16 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic growth, economic history, growth disasters, history of economic thought, income redistribution, liberalism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: regressive left, useful idiot, Venezuela
I sometimes make the theoretical case against socialism. Usually, this means exposing the flaws of the core components of the socialist ideology. Government ownership of the means of production is a recipe for resource misallocation. Central planning has a miserable track record of failure because consumer preferences are ignored. Price controls distort incentives to make […]
It Happened Again! The New York Times Writes about Venezuela’s Collapse and Fails to Mention Socialism
Australia Moves Toward Draconian Anti-Free Speech Law
14 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, industrial organisation, law and economics, liberalism, politics - Australia, politics - USA, property rights Tags: free speech, media bias, political correctness, regressive left
We have previously discussed how Australia has eagerly joined the plunge into censorship and speech controls, including a court system that has repeatedly refused to protect free speech. It is now on the verge of enacting a new censorship bill that replicates the abuses under the European Union’s draconian Digital Service Act (DSA).
Australia Moves Toward Draconian Anti-Free Speech Law
Countering objections to free speech
14 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Greg Lukianoff is, as most of you know, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. He’s also a lawyer and co-author, with Jon Haidt, of the excellent book The Coddling of the American Mind. Yesterday in Quillette, Lukianoff wrote a piece that many of us may find useful, outlining how to give comebacks […]
Countering objections to free speech
The case for safety and fairness in sport to be given priority over trans ideology
14 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, gender, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, sports economics Tags: free speech, gender gaps, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
Ele Ludemann writes – Former Olympians and sports representatives are calling for safety and fairness to take precedence over trans ideology: An open letter signed by nearly 60 former New Zealand Olympians and sports representatives asks the government to ensure fairness is the cornerstone of sport at all levels.
The case for safety and fairness in sport to be given priority over trans ideology
Main medieval slave routes in Africa
14 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in economic history, international economics, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, liberalism Tags: Africa, economics of slavery
Sixth Circuit Hands Down Major Free Speech Win for Professor Against the University of Louisville
13 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: conjecture and refutation, free speech, philosophy of science, political correctness, regressive left
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit handed down a major victory of free speech this week in favor of professor challenging his treatment by the University of Louisville. In Josephson v. Ganzel, a unanimous panel ruled for Dr. Allan Josephson who was subject to adverse actions after he publicly expressed skepticism […]
Sixth Circuit Hands Down Major Free Speech Win for Professor Against the University of Louisville
SHOWDOWN: Willie Jackson vs David Seymour on the Treaty Principles Bill
11 Sep 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, economic history, law and economics, liberalism, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice Tags: constitutional law, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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