Category Archives: Economics

TALEB VERSUS PINKER.

Posted on February 24, 2018 by Philip

TALEB VERSUS PINKER. As is shown by the archive feature, two of the writers that have been the subjects of many of the posts on this blog are Steven Pinker and Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Wootton points out in his review … Continue reading →

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THE REJECTION OF THE WHIG THEORY OF HISTORY.

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Philip

THE REJECTION OF THE WHIG THEORY OF HISTORY. When I was a college student some fifty years ago, the Whig Theory of History seemed to be dominant. This wikipedia entry defines the theory as: “an approach to historiography that presents … Continue reading →

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WAS IT A GREAT MISTAKE FOR HUMANS TO BECOME FARMERS?

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Philip

WAS IT A GREAT MISTAKE FOR HUMANS TO BECOME FARMERS? Professor James Scott has a new book out, AGAINST THE GRAIN, A DEEP HISTORY OF THE EARLIEST STATES, in which he argues that the discovery and adoption of agriculture by … Continue reading →

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CREATING A SMELL FOR A HOTEL.

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Philip

CREATING A SMELL FOR A HOTEL. Scott McCartney had an article in the Wall Street Journal (November 9) about efforts hotels are making to create a pleasing smell to associate with their brand. McCartney quotes the description of the Holiday … Continue reading →

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HOW AN AIRLINE CUT COSTS.

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Philip

HOW AN AIRLINE CUT COSTS. Nick sent me a link to this article on the Gizmodo site by Tom McKay about how: “Switching its in-flight magazine Hemisphere to a lighter variety of paper that saved an ounce a copy has … Continue reading →

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MY EFFORTS TO REPLACE A SET OF STEPS.

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Philip

MY EFFORTS TO REPLACE A SET OF STEPS. Salvataier’s essay about building things with his brother brought back memories. There came a summer when my mother decided that my brother Elmer and I could and should replace some steps to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BUILD A SET OF STEPS.

Posted on January 7, 2018 by Philip

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BUILD A SET OF STEPS. One of Katja Grace’s initial observations is that: “Inventions are usually more ingenious than they seem”. She links to this blog post by John Salvatier, who supports the proposition … Continue reading →

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SOME PROPOSED EXPLANATIONS FOR WHY IT TOO SO LONG TO INVENT ROPE.

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Philip

SOME PROPOSED EXPLANATIONS FOR WHY IT TOOK SO LONG TO INVENT ROPE. Katja Grace received a large number of proposed answers to her question. She summarized them here three days after she posed it (link via Marginal Revolution). The first … Continue reading →

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WHAT IF I HAD HAD TO INVENT ROPE?

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Philip

WHAT IF I HAD HAD TO INVENT ROPE? I have said for years that if human progress had required that I invent rope or the wheel, it would never have happened. Technological progress has depended on people who are “handy”, … Continue reading →

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WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO INVENT ROPE?

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Philip

WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG TO INVENT ROPE? Katja Grace posed a great question here on her Meteuphoric blog (December 28, 2017): “One of the biggest intuitive mysteries to me is how humanity took so long to do anything. … Continue reading →

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