GameStop and short-sellers
What’s the ethics of driving up the price of GameStop stock?
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Real Liberal Education: interviewed by Marsha Enright
I was interviewed for the “Conversations with Marsha” series, part of The Great Connections program. Our theme is The Liberal Arts, What They Are and Why You Need Them. Video is below, and a rough transcription is coming soon.
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Two-minute advice to social justice warriors
In response to the question: What would you say to young social justice warriors? Excerpted from this full interview at the Spanish Libertarian’s site on why communism is “cool” but Nazism isn’t, externalities of capitalism, whether postmodernism is dangerous, the rise of Jordan Peterson, the achievements of Western civilization, what is the philosophy of capitalism,
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Triggernometry: interview
Francis and Konstantin are two professional comedians in London, England, whose recent guests include Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay, Douglas Murray, Coleman Hughes, and many others. They interviewed me on (humor-deficient) postmodernism, identity politics, cancel culture, how to fix education, and optimism about the future despite these dark times. Here’s the video. A rough transcription is
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Some appalling infant mortality numbers from history
[I’m teaching biomedical ethics this semester and so revisiting some posts on innovation and progress.] Current infant mortality rates are less than half of one percent, and it is awful for parents who lose a child. But in the 1700s, infant mortality rates were over 50%. I came across this in Robert K. Massie’s Catherine
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Emotion trumping Trump assessments
I’ve been getting grief from several directions — accusing comments that I’ve been (a) soft on Trump, (b) in the bag for Trump, (c) too hard on Trump, and (d) changed my tune on Trump. Each claim is a mystery to me. My practice is rarely to comment directly on day-to-day or week-to-week political issues
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On property rights as a check against political power, Pitt edition
“The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail—its roof may shake—the wind may blow through it—the storm may enter—the rain may enter—but the King of England cannot enter!” (William Pitt, March 1763 speech. Pitt was a British Whig politician, including being Prime Minister
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Covid and Social Media: the same debate in two forms
We are having two debates at the same time, on both sides of the mind/body split: Person A says: “Let good and bad germs fight it out in our bodies. That’s how individuals and groups develop physical strength.”Also: “Let good and bad ideas fight it out in our minds. That’s how individuals and groups develop
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