Musings |
Musings |
Sunday Reads...10/22/2023
An irregular round-up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:
Quote of the Day: Many whose sense of morality is offended by large economic disparities among individuals, groups, and nations tend to see the causes of these differences as “advantages” or “privileges” that some people have over others. But it is crucial to make a distinction between achievements and privileges. This is not simply a matter of semantics. Privileges come at the expense of others, but achievements add to the benefits of others. - Thomas Sowell
Sunday Reads...10/15/2023
An irregular round-up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:
Quote of the Day: We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes, we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe. -Elie Wiesel, “Night.” Round-up:
Sunday Reads...10/8/2023
An irregular round up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: The Antitrust laws—an unenforceable, uncompliable, unjudicable mess of contradictions—have for decades kept American businessmen under a silent, growing reign of terror. Yet these laws were created and, to this day, are upheld by the “conservatives,” as a grim monument to their lack of political philosophy, of economic knowledge and of any concern with principles. Under the Antitrust laws, a man becomes a criminal from the moment he goes into business, no matter what he does. For instance, if he charges prices which some bureaucrats judge as too high, he can be prosecuted for monopoly or for a successful “intent to monopolize”; if he charges prices lower than those of his competitors, he can be prosecuted for “unfair competition” or “restraint of trade”; and if he charges the same prices as his competitors, he can be prosecuted for “collusion” or “conspiracy.” There is only one difference in the legal treatment accorded to a criminal or to a businessman: the criminal’s rights are protected much more securely and objectively than the businessman’s. - Ayn Rand Today's quote comes to mind in the context of the nutty FTC-led "anti-trust" charges in the headlines.
Book Review | Fourth Turning Is Here.10/7/2023
![]() BOOKS | THE FOURTH TURNING IS HERE | Neil Howe, Simon & Schuster, (2023) 587p. If you read only one book this year, make it this one. Neil Howe’s theory interprets history as a series of repeating cycles, commonly referred to as the “Saeculum” view. This perspective suggests that history operates in cycles, each spanning approximately a long human life (80 to 100 years). At any moment, about four generations coexist, each influencing and shaping events. In Howe's model, a Saeculum comprises four distinct turnings, or generational eras, each lasting approximately 20-22 years (roughly the time it takes for a new generation to come of age). These turnings are:
However, these Crisis periods (Glorious Revolution, American Revolution, Civil War, WWII) are not easy. During a Crisis period:
These turnings are not just chronological periods but are also associated with generational archetypes that play specific roles:
Nevertheless, history is not predetermined. We make choices. Howe's work, particularly when looking at the attributes of generations or historical events, has - by necessity- some amount of cherry-picking involved. Additionally, given the vagaries of technology and human interactions, straight-line trends seldom self-execute without unpredictable swerves and curves. Grab a copy of this tome, consume, reflect and prepare. A study outline can be found here. saeculum_matrix.pdf Sunday Reads...10/1/2023
An irregular round up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:
Quote of the Day: Those who promise us paradise on earth never produced anything but a hell. – Karl Popper.
Sunday Reads...9/24/2023
An irregular round-up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We shall never prevent the abuse of power if we are not prepared to limit power in a way which occasionally may also prevent its use for desirable purposes.” From F.A. Hayek’s “The Road to Serfdom"
Sunday Reads...9/17/2023
An irregular round up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:
Quote to ponder: F.A. Hayek’s 1944 book, The Road to Serfdom; from chapter 5, which is titled “Planning and Democracy:" Those most immediately interested in a particular issue are not necessarily the best judges of the interests of society as a whole. To take only the most characteristic case: when capital and labor in an industry agree on some policy of restriction and thus exploit the consumers, there is usually no difficulty about the division of the spoils in proportion to former earnings or on some similar principle. The loss which is divided between thousands or millions is usually either simply disregarded quite inadequately considered.
Our "K-shaped" economy.9/12/2023
Sunday Reads...9/3/2023
An irregular round up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:
Sunday Reads...6/22/2023
An irregular round up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence
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