One popular meme is that the financial crisis was caused by deregulation in the banking and financial sectors. Accordingly, suggest the memists, free markets should take the blame and more government regulation is the solution. When did this deregulation take place? One measure of the degree of regulation is how much the federal government spends […]
When was the financial sector deregulated? Read More »
The philosophy of Left-ish people is that economic decisions should be political, not private — made by government rather than by the market. Lefties also believe that public interest, not profitability, should be the criterion. The response to the financial crisis was: a) made in the political sector, b) to help firms that were not
What is the OWS complaint? Read More »
From November 3 to 6, I will be giving an invited series of lectures and seminars (nine hours worth of them!) at the Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala. My general themes will be entrepreneurship, ethics, philosophy, and political economy. The times titles of my various talks are as follows. Open Lecture (Thursday, November 3): “Entrepreneurs
My upcoming lectures at Universidad Francisco Marroquín Read More »
“Occupy Wall Street–or Occupy Pennsylvania Avenue?” That is the title of a talk I’ll be giving to the Philosophy Club at nearby Rock Valley College. Time and place: Tuesday, October 25, 3:00-4:00 in classroom building CL1, room 227, on the RVC campus. Should be fun. Thanks to Christopher McGill for the invitation.
My upcoming talk at Rock Valley College Read More »
Federico Fernández and Martin Sarano will speak on “Doing Business in Argentina: The current business climate and the ethical dilemmas it presents to entrepreneurs and corporations” to my Business and Economic Ethics class on Thursday, October 13. Early in the twentieth century, Argentina’s economy was one of the top ten in the world, but it
Fernández and Sarano to speak at Rockford College Read More »
Elizabeth Warren’s recent remarks offer a striking glimpse into one prominent strain of American political thought.
Elizabeth Warren and the doulos Read More »
Douglas Den Uyl spoke at Rockford College on four competing (and/or compatible?) theories of the nature of capitalism: Milton Friedman’s “Utility” account, Friedrich Hayek’s “Epistemic” account, Adam Smith’s “Aesthetic” account, and Ayn Rand’s “Self-Fulfillment” account. Here is my sixteen-minute interview with Dr. Den Uyl following his lecture: Part 1: Part 2: Cross-posted at the CEE
Interview with Douglas Den Uyl on “The Essence of Capitalism” Read More »
The question matters because many smart libertarians and conservatives, Bryan Caplan included, are wondering whether the two groups can overcome their differences, either for short-term coalitions on particular issues and elections or to create a longer-term movement. My view is that the philosophical differences between the two militate against long-term compatibility, though there are prospects
Do conservatives value economic liberty? Read More »