Pielke Jr. argues like this: “The notion of consensus-as-truth has been operationalized in various forms: journalistic “fact checkers,” academic “misinformation” researchers, and content moderation on social media platforms. The practical effect is the creation of self-appointed arbiters of truth — journalists, academics, social media platforms, and even governments — who render judgments on acceptable and unacceptable speech according to conformance with an acceptable view.”
Weaponizing ‘The Science’
Weaponizing ‘The Science’
14 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of information, economics of media and culture, health economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: Age of Enlightenment, conjecture and refutation, free speech, philosophy of science, political correctness, regressive left
Chris Trotter’s brain hasn’t melted
13 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
After the 2017 election, the brains of some folks on the NZ right seemed to melt. They imagined that Ardern was controlled by Davos, or the World Economic Forum, or the International Socialist Youth of which she had been President, or Soros. It was all just stupid. Labour had won the election, there were no conspiracies,…
Chris Trotter’s brain hasn’t melted
“Punishment” for protestors who break University of Chicago regulations: a light tap on the wrist at best
13 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, economics of education, law and economics, laws of war, politics - USA, war and peace Tags: free speech, Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, regressive left, war against terror
A while back, 26 pro-Palestinian protestors at the University of Chicago, along with two faculty members, were arrested and booked for holding an illegal sit-in in the admissions office. Later on, the city of Chicago dropped the charges of criminal trespass (I don’t know why this happened), and up to now I haven’t been able […]
“Punishment” for protestors who break University of Chicago regulations: a light tap on the wrist at best
Changes in Political Ideology by Occupation
13 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economic history, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA Tags: regressive left
And in just twenty years too. The following graph is terrifying – unless you love the idea of a de-facto One Party State, which the Left does.
Changes in Political Ideology by Occupation
The U.S. follows New Zealand: let’s teach indigenous “ways of knowing” in the science classroom!
13 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
The virus that has long infected New Zealand—the argument that indigenous “ways of knowing” should be taught alongside science in the science classroom—has now spread to America, with the help of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and its flagship journal, Science, often regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious venues. […]
The U.S. follows New Zealand: let’s teach indigenous “ways of knowing” in the science classroom!
Jon Haidt goes after DEI
13 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of education, economics of media and culture, income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
A lot of academics who haven’t previously gone after DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives are coming out of the woodwork to criticize the philosophy and actions of DEI. New critics include Steve Pinker, who, in his Boston Globe article on how to fix the problems of Harvard, included “Disempowering DEI” as one of the […]
Jon Haidt goes after DEI
BRIAN EASTON: Te Tiriti as a social contract
12 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of bureaucracy, income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: Age of Enlightenment, constitutional law, regressive left
Interpreting the agreement made at Waitangi as a social contract is a way to move forward on treaty issues (This column follows ‘Our Understandings Of Te Tiriti Has Evolved Organically’.) Brian Easton writes – Te Tiriti is in the form of a social contract of the sort that political theorists have discussed since the seventeenth […]
BRIAN EASTON: Te Tiriti as a social contract
Could Trump Win By Simple Attrition Rather than Vindication?
12 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election
Below is my Fox.com column on the shift of fortunes for former president Donald Trump in the last week. Trump does not appear to be necessarily moving ahead legally but he is still prevailing politically in a curious war of attrition. Here is the column:
Could Trump Win By Simple Attrition Rather than Vindication?
Pinker on “What’s wrong with our universities”
11 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of education, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, property rights, Public Choice Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Here’s a new one-hour interview of Steve Pinker by John Tomasi, inaugural president of the Heterodox Academy. Here are the YouTube notes: Are our higher education institutions still nurturing true intellectual diversity? Our guest today is Steven Pinker, a cognitive scientist at Harvard, and today, we’ll be exploring the growing concerns within higher ed that […]
Pinker on “What’s wrong with our universities”
“That is Not the Judgment of the Press”: The White House Calls the Media to Heel With Disinformation Campaign
11 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in politics - USA Tags: 2024 presidential election
“That is not the judgment of the press.” Those words from President Joe Biden were a telling moment after a reporter noted that there is widespread concern that he is mentally diminished. Biden’s cranky response was overshadowed by his confusion on other points during the press conference, including mixing up the presidents of Egypt and […]
“That is Not the Judgment of the Press”: The White House Calls the Media to Heel With Disinformation Campaign
Roger Pielke on Michael Mann’s Victory
11 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in environmental economics, global warming, law and economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: climate activists
By Paul Homewood From Roger Pielke: Yesterday, a jury in Washington, DC awarded renowned climate scientist Michael E. Mann more than $1,000,000 in damages in a defamation lawsuit he brought against two bloggers. I was a witness in the case and testified on Tuesday. Here, I’ll offer my thoughts on the case and some […]
Roger Pielke on Michael Mann’s Victory
The “Unassailable” Theory Faces a Potential Unanimous Rejection
10 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of media and culture, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: 2024 presidential election, constitutional law, regressive left
This week, the argument before the Supreme Court in Trump v. Anderson captivated the nation as the justices considered the disqualification of former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot. For some of us, the argument brought back vivid memories of covering Bush v. Gore almost 25 years ago. While one justice (Clarence Thomas) […]
The “Unassailable” Theory Faces a Potential Unanimous Rejection
The highly inconvenient Sir Apirana Ngata
10 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: constitutional law
Graham Adams writes — Sir Apirana Ngata has a pre-eminent place in the pantheon of Māori luminaries. He is widely regarded as a visionary leader who, in an illustrious political career, championed biculturalism when assimilationist policies were the norm. He energetically promoted Māori language and culture, and land reform. He was an MP for nearly […]
The highly inconvenient Sir Apirana Ngata
Worry Not About So-Called “Trade Deficits”
10 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economic history, international economics, politics - USA Tags: current account
TweetThis piece by Rapoza also features a discussion of the U.S. trade deficit in “goods” – any mention of which is a sure sign that the writer is a poor economist. A trade deficit in tangible things is no more economically meaningful than is a trade deficit in yellow things or things that start with…
Worry Not About So-Called “Trade Deficits”
CHRIS TROTTER: Are you a leftist?
10 Feb 2024 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left, The fatal conceit, unintended consequences
Chris Trotter writes – THERE WAS A TIME when a leftist’s definition of “leftism” corresponded pretty closely to everybody else’s definition. The term identified a coherent worldview – to the point where knowing where someone stood on one issue enabled them to predict with surprising accuracy where they stood on a host of others. If […]
CHRIS TROTTER: Are you a leftist?
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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