From FP Magazine: “How Did Obama Lose Karzai?” … “Karzai now appears mistrusting of the West’s long-term commitment to his country. He considers the Americans to be hopelessly fickle, represented …
(Note: I posted this as a comment on http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/ and am copying it here, as a I always do.) Guns are for more than hunting and self defense. They’re also …
A Perfect Quote: “Thirty years ago, the public saw teachers as underpaid and overworked professionals trying to prepare the next generation for leadership. These days, the teachers unions are doing …
Whence comes Property? The answer is a strong army and navy, a strong diplomatic corps, a strong currency free of debasement Trade rests on trade routes. Trade routes rest on …
All human beings seek to game the market. The market system depends upon it. Without the desire to game the market and prices, we would have no innovation, no production …
Over on Climate Etc, Judith Curry writes Blame on Heartland, Cato, Marshall, etc. The fossil fuel industries have been funding dedicated minions at the Heartland, Cato, and George C. Marshal …
There are three means of coercing groups of people with institutions 1) Force, or the threat of force A person has a VIOLENCE INCENTIVE to behave in a particular way …
I. Curt, what does “Exchange under trade is different from exchange under market.” mean? Trade and Market are commonly framed as causally synonymous when they are not. Trade is natural …
The left is wrong on it’s face, because of the problems of incentives and economic calculation. The left is wrong on it’s perceptions: the pie isn’t fixed and people are …
In a nation with no institutions other than tribal alliances, only members of the existing hierarchy can replace a leader, because the only institution that the society relies upon is …
Regarding the debate as to whether Jefferson or Paine wrote the original draft of the Declaration of Independence. I don’t care whether Paine or Jefferson authored the constitution one way …
Radical Islam is just Marxism for even ‘dumber’ people. The IQ in the West? It’s 100. In it’s proletariat? Looks like in the UK it’s 84-85. Among eastern Europeans? It’s …
When we invented farming, money and cities, we had to convert the barbarians into peasants. As a consequence, we had to endure their disastrous magical religions. When we invented credit, …
areto, in his study of society, and Haight in his study of emotions, and perhaps Axelrod as well in his study of human cooperation, do not attribute to Status Signaling …