In Liberalism Against Populism, and much public choice literature, it can be hard to escape the conclusion that the only thing we can predict is that things change in ways we can’t. The question than becomes whether things shall revert to a mean, or continually shift equilibrium. If things revert to the mean, that suggestsContinue reading “Do the numbers strike back?”
Tag Archives: politics
How I accidentally beat Ahkil Reed Amar in an argument (3rd most cited law scholar) and why it matters
The conversation between Stephen Bowling and Ahkil Reed Amar (AMA going forward) was definitely intellectually stimulating, but a few things that Ahkil claimed were wholly not persuasive to me. His big thing is originalism is correct, which is the orientation that original intent and history are key to understanding ideas is right. He claims alsoContinue reading “How I accidentally beat Ahkil Reed Amar in an argument (3rd most cited law scholar) and why it matters”
SohoForum Retrospective: Why I think David Leonhardt is Half-Right on America’s Trend-Line and Why It Matters
On Monday, I saw a debate between John Early and David Leonhardt. I personally think from the discussion that Leonhardt had the upper hand, and would have liked to explore deeper ramifications of each side’s perspective. From my understanding, Leonhardt argued that a wide variety of sources show that economic growth for lower class AmericansContinue reading “SohoForum Retrospective: Why I think David Leonhardt is Half-Right on America’s Trend-Line and Why It Matters”
A possible explanation for popular philosophy sucking
A lot of the highbrow intellectualism I see around me lacks rigor to say the least. Because it makes assumptions about human nature that are contested, if not downright incorrect, much of what people read fills their head with nonsense. Instead of getting into why I think the specific cultural hegemonic set of ideas isContinue reading “A possible explanation for popular philosophy sucking”
The Enemy Within, Glenn Loury, and The Confessions of A Black Conservative.
I’m not really a memoir reader, though I tend to like writing that’s self aware, recognizing that we’re playing a game, assessing credibility, and weighing sins against accomplishments. I’m not sure what I expected when I picked up the new book that Glenn Loury put out. I’d been following the Black Guys at Bloggingheads sinceContinue reading “The Enemy Within, Glenn Loury, and The Confessions of A Black Conservative.”
What should a president be?
One idea that I discussed in a club that I’m a part of is whether presidents are too powerful, or too weak. I think this can be a bit of a challenge since presidential power can be a bit amorphous, and talking through it, it seems like there’s a couple distinct issues in play. OneContinue reading “What should a president be?”
Applying Economic Analysis to Common Law
Economic analysis of law looks at how law as an institution shapes the incentives of individuals and firms, looks at how risk is allocated, and how resources are segregated. The figure most associated in law and economics, or economic analysis of the law is Richard Posner who’s general contribution was that common law is andContinue reading “Applying Economic Analysis to Common Law”
A Different Kind of Straussian-ism
Leo Strauss was a 20th century German-American scholar of political philosophy, and widely known for his work on talking about eternal truths, and how the modern canon of philosophy was nihilistic and somewhat worthless. Students of his see an element of the esoteric in ancient philosophy, wherein philosophers like Plato show Socrates as the villainContinue reading “A Different Kind of Straussian-ism”
That time I debated Vaush and what I learned
A while back, when I was more involved in libertarian politics, I was attending conventions left and right, and frankly wasn’t in my best state emotionally. Without going into too much detail on that, there was one convention that I helped volunteer for in Nashville, and it was fancy. The reception was at a somewhatContinue reading “That time I debated Vaush and what I learned”
Some Tips to Improve Extemp Debate
I used to be successful at competitive parliamentary debate, winning the Dartmouth debate camp (parliamentary), and going undefeated at the New Haven Urban Debate league. I faced a lot of losses as well, and don’t feel naturally charismatic. Here’s a couple of things that I did that helped me improve: Overall, if you treat debateContinue reading “Some Tips to Improve Extemp Debate”
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