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Loneliness and Altruism
ByjbpIn 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” The report found that nearly half of American adults experience “measurable levels of loneliness.” This topic was discussed at a Jefferson Dinner I recently attended. Being a member of a community of people who share our interests, goals, or…
Pumping Gas is Dangerous
Most American drivers are familiar with the process for filling their own gas tank. However, in New Jersey and Oregon it is illegal to pump your own gas. The reason for these prohibitions is the fact that pumping gas is dangerous. Certainly, pumping one’s own gasoline can be dangerous. But driving a car is far…
Context Matters
Knowledge is not a series of random, isolated ideas. Knowledge is, as Leonard Peikoff puts it, “an organization or integration of interconnected elements, each relevant to the others.” That integration is the context, and context matters. If we fail to consider all of the relevant facts we are guilty of dropping context. Important information does…
Is Deflation Really Bad?
Financial analysts are issuing warnings about the deflation that is occurring in China. In November, consumer prices fell .5 percent, the largest decline in three years. CNN reports that deflation is bad because consumers and businesses may delay purchases in the hope that prices decline further. But is deflation really bad? Deflation means a general…
Government isn’t a Business
Political candidates frequently talk about their business experience and the need to bring business principles to government. Government, they tell us, needs to operate more like a business. But government isn’t a business, and it can’t operate like one. Businesses operate on the principle of voluntary trade. They produce a product or service and offer…
Price Controls are Kinda Sorta Bad
An editorial by the New York Daily News Editorial Board provides an example of the nonsense that can be written when principles are abandoned. In the piece, the board agrees with the idea that rent control exacerbates the problems it is allegedly intended to remedy. It then cautions the Supreme Court, which may be considering…