A number of people who write words on the internet talk a lot about people writing things for free. If you are someone who writes things on the internet, it makes sense to talk about such things. It’s like how people subscribe to trade magazines and talk about issues in their industry. Moreover, people always… Continue reading The poors and writing for free on the internet
Policy Shop (Bi-)Weekly Digest: Merit, Heroes, Poverty, Poverty
I missed last week’s digest somehow. I had 4 posts over at Demos’ Policy Shop this last couple of weeks. Here is a rundown with links: No One Actually Cares About Meritocracy. Excerpt: You can’t live in the United States and not be acquainted with at least a handful of extremely prominently legacy cases who,… Continue reading Policy Shop (Bi-)Weekly Digest: Merit, Heroes, Poverty, Poverty
Almost all charity arguments are analytically confused
I’ve written on charity stuff before. When it comes to economic issues, I prefer justice to charity. I prefer that we arrange our distributive institutions to achieve a fair distribution, not allow unfair distributions to happen that we then maybe ameliorate through private transfers. I think Oscar Wilde’s argument on this front is the most… Continue reading Almost all charity arguments are analytically confused
How not to argue about human rights
Amanda Marcotte had a really strange piece today in Alternet, which was cross-posted at Salon. She is apparently trying to respond to conservative efforts to demand liberals articulate where human rights come from. The conservatives Marcotte focuses on claim they come from God, while Marcotte explains that they come from, well, um…don’t worry about it.… Continue reading How not to argue about human rights
The Coase Theorem Is Alive and Well in East New York
Courtesy of Colorlines and @sandraholla, I came across the above video. In it, a resident of East New York stands in front of a Banksy street art piece that popped up in his neighborhood, and demands that people pay him $20 to take a picture of it. It is a little unclear how this is… Continue reading The Coase Theorem Is Alive and Well in East New York