Gene Callahan Archive
Does IQ Determine the Wealth of Nations?
IQ and the Wealth of Nations is a severely flawed book, falling far short of presenting the indisputable case for the primary importance of genetically determined intelligence in deciding the economic performance of nations that Lynn and Vanhanen claim it offers. Whether or not some nations truly suffer from an ineradicable intelligence deficit, their best path to follow is the one of freedom. Even if a capitalist, low-IQ country has a lower GDP than a socialist, high-IQ nation, that does not argue against the primary importance of liberty for prosperity. FULL ARTICLE
As Time Goes By: The Factor of Time in Human Action
All around us, every day, people consume far more than they need to survive, therefore saving far less than they could. Yet we all know that saving is the road to wealth. Why don't top Wall Street traders live in tiny shacks, eat canned beans, and ride old bicycles to the train station? Why do movie stars go on mad shopping sprees and stay at fabulous vacation resorts? Shouldn't they live as paupers in order to save every penny they can? Humans can only consume in the present. It is our present dissatisfactions that call out for relief. FULL ARTICLE
Public Goods and Bads
Here is an interesting paper by Christopher Coyne and Steve Davies. It counters the argument that empire produces public goods by pointing to the many public bads of empire.
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