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Classical Liberalism and the Nation State
Barry’s response to my earlier post is another interesting read, yet it is also rather broad brush historical. I think he is erroneous if he claims that ‘it did not occur to classical liberals, on the...
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What sort of “Meritocracy” would a libertarian endorse, if he had to?
The first attempt to answer this question should say: “none.” Notwithstanding that this is the correct approach, we can’t help but feel uneasy about it. Libertarians have had to deal with this...
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Foucault’s biopolitics seems like it’s just a subtle form of nationalism
I’ve been slowly making my way through Michel Foucault’s The Birth of Biopolitics, largely on the strength of Barry’s recommendation (see also this fiery debate between Barry and Jacques), and a couple...
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On Robots and Personal Identity
When I came across this documentary on robots and their ability to carry on a conversation between each other, the well-known ideas on the spontaneous emergence of language inevitably crossed my mind....
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Some afterthoughts on Rio Paralympics
Paralympics are over, and with them the cycle of Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Once again the city was able to put up a good show, and thankfully all went well in the Cidade Maravilhosa. But not...
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Porque privatizar (ou desestatizar) o ensino é uma das melhores reformas que...
Talvez seja somente uma percepção subjetiva sem maior relevância objetiva, mas a impressão que tenho é que a privatização do ensino é um dos maiores tabus da sociedade brasileira. Até onde eu sei...
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Alguns mitos, equívocos e objeções comuns ao capitalismo parte 2
Continuando um post antigo, seguem mais alguns mitos, equívocos e objeções comuns ao capitalismo. Três mitos a respeito da Grande Depressão e do New Deal Mito #1: Herbert Hoover praticava o...
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The Homo Economicus is “The Body” of the Agent
The model of the decision-making agent known as homo economicus is a trivial truth, but not a misconception. All agents are supposed to maximize the utility of their resources – that is true in every...
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Does socialism need to be corrupt?
Brazil is going through a deep crisis right now. It is tempting to say that this is the greatest crisis in the country’s history, but I am quite afraid to make this comment. Unlike England and the...
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Against Libertarian Populism
Over at The Liberty Conservative (which is, in my opinion, something of an oxymoronic name), Alex Witoslawski of the Leadership Institute recently wrote an article defending populism as a strategy for...
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Why did the Pseudo-Libertarians Bring a White Nationalist to ISFLC in the...
This weekend I attended the International Students for Liberty Conference in DC, the largest global meeting of libertarian students, professionals, and intellectuals. I was excited to meet a few...
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Immigration, Cultural Change, and Diversity as a Cultural Discovery Process
I have spent a couple of posts addressing various spurious economic and fiscal arguments against looser immigration restrictions. But, as Brandon pointed out recently, these aren’t really the most...
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Speech in academic philosophy: Rebecca Tuvel on Rachel Dolezal
A few days ago, controversy exploded in the world of academic philosophy as a new article, published in the feminist philosophy journal Hypatia, earned itself a letter calling for retraction by over...
View ArticleDeep Learning and Abstract Orders
It is well known that Friedrich Hayek once rejoiced at Noam Chomsky’s evolutionary theory of language, which stated that the faculty of speaking depends upon a biological device which human beings are...
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The socialism of moralizing fools Chris Dillow, Stumbling and Mumbling Friedrich Hayek’s devotion to the free market Linda Yueh, Times Literary Supplement The art of the Big Lie Phil Tinline, New...
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So you want my opinion (as an economist)? Scott Sumner, EconLog Don’t Let Doubts About Blockchains Close Your Mind Tyler Cowen, Bloomberg View Hayek, Radner, and Rational-Expectations Equilibrium David...
View ArticleCities in capitalism are more beautiful
The other day I wrote about some of the reasons why I love capitalism. One of them is that cities in capitalism are more beautiful. I am convinced of this when I think about some cities I am more...
View ArticleWhat is the proper role of government?
Former Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff publicly lied by saying that she had a M.A. and a Ph.D. in Economics. The lie was discovered in 2009, when she still wasn’t Brazil’s president. Maybe that’s the...
View ArticleThe promise and peril of blockchain distributed governance
I was very fortunate to learn that my essay ‘Markets for rules‘ has won the Mont Pelerin Society’s 2018 Hayek essay competition for young scholars (one of the perks of academia is being defined as...
View ArticleWhy Hayek was Wrong about American and European Conservatism II
The first post in this series concentrates on the more radical authoritarian populist side of conservatism in Europe. Before getting on to American conservatism and other aspects of European...
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