I wrote earlier about Pew research findings that Republicans are happier than Democrats, and, generally, conservatives are happier than liberals. Here was my explanation:
I think it’s likely that happy people are more likely to be Republicans, while unhappy people are more likely to be Democrats, for unhappiness gives one an incentive to seek change, [...]
Archive for the ‘Rationality’ Category
Why Republicans Are Happier, Part II
Posted in Distributive Justice, Equality, Politics, Rationality, economics, tagged conservatism, happiness, liberalism on May 8, 2008 | 1 Comment »
“Markets fail; let’s use markets”
Posted in Politics, Rationality, economics, tagged economics, prisoners' dilemmas, tragedy of the commons on March 4, 2008 | 2 Comments »
That’s a capsule summary of the George Mason University economics department (HT: Brian Hollar):
Adjunct professor Arnold Kling offered a terser précis of the GMU way. “My simple way of describing it is that at Chicago they say, ‘Markets work; let’s use markets.’ At Harvard and MIT they say, ‘Markets fail; let’s use government.’ And at [...]
A Cauldron of Irrationality
Posted in Rationality, tagged change, fear, nostalgia, Rationality on January 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Shrinkwrapped discusses the psychological basis for “counterknowledge,” the absurd conspiracy theories that seem to be enjoying more credence these days.
We are living in dangerous times. Anxiety over the future and the pace of change (change ushered in by magical technologies that no one can fully understand) naturally produces powerful regressive forces in a culture. [...]
Fallacy of the Day
Posted in Rationality, tagged fallacy, logic on January 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Greg Mankiw discovers a fallacy in Mike Huckabee’s response to Fred Thompson.
Sleeping Beauty
Posted in Rationality, philosophy, tagged sleeping beauty on January 2, 2008 | 3 Comments »
The philosophical community in the United States is increasingly focused on the Sleeping Beauty Problem:
Some researchers are going to put you to sleep. During the two days that your sleep will last, they will briefly wake you up either once or twice, depending on the toss of a fair coin (Heads: once; Tails: twice). After [...]
Prisoners’ Dilemmas
Posted in Politics, Rationality, ethics, philosophy, tagged ethics, philosophy, Politics, prisoners' dilemmas, Rationality on December 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
A few days ago I talked about flaccid strategies for iterated prisoners’ dilemmas, noting that strategies without retaliation cannot win. I remarked:
Many Western leaders seem committed not only to avoiding retaliation but to responding to defection on an opponent’s part with forgiveness and even more extensive cooperation. [Emphasis added.]
That inspires a further thought. [...]
Going for It
Posted in Rationality, tagged Football, Rationality on November 5, 2007 | 2 Comments »
David Romer has studied football coaches’ decisions on whether to punt or go for it on fourth down. He has written a paper arguing that, generally, going for it makes much more sense than punting. Yet NFL coaches go for it on fourth down only in very circumscribed situations. This leads Romer [...]
