The best way to understand an issue is sometimes to follow the debate rather than just one "side." I had bogged down trying to understand Monetary Theory (Modern or otherwise). This is an introduction to the thinking of David Colander. I tripped over him when reading " Modern Monetary Theory and its Critics ." Colander presents himself as a "Historian of Ideas." He is a "big picture" guy who tries to understand ideas in depth but also concerning their real historical consequence. For example, he points out that if MMT were applied by, say, the Tea Party, the result would be a nightmare (zero tax, no government). This provides a simple example of one assumption behind all economic "recommendations" - that the supporters are in political power - more or less permanently . After plodding through endless economic arguments, I also get a whiff of "motivated reasoning." Beware of all statements that include o ther things being equ...

This  is Milton Friedman on the concepts that are defended in Hayek's "Road to Serfdom." Hayek's thesis is interesting but also dated. He warns against top-down planning in the place of market control of prices, both by Socialists and Fascists of the time. George Bernard Shaw introduced me to Socialism 101  (" A Practical Woman's Guide to Socialism )." It dates from approximately the same period but is concerned with social justice. There is little consideration of how social justice would be achieved. We must assume a major reorganization of the economy according to some master plan. As Hayek pointed out, both Socialists and Fascists assumed this with little pushback. During World War II, economies became "planned" by necessity. It turns out that " Road to Serfdom " is a free Audiobook. See these videos for discussions. General Impression:  Hayek goes to great lengths to defend his thesis that totalitarian "planning" is ...

There are many reasons why humans are attracted to the idea of a spirit-filled Universe. "Theory of mind", which gives he brain a perception (not just a "theory") that other beings are conscious and act with intent just as we do. These days, we see this as a brain function that does not reflect reality, just as the illusion that things get smaller as they move away from us. Even our modern, scientifically-trained minds make us see life where there is movement. Another consequence of they way we are built is a survival strategy that involves manipulation of the environment (tool use being the most obvious aspect of it). We expect to control the world around us and we are frustrated at the limitation of our power to do so. It is easy to imagine that the world can be (or actually is) controlled by a mind and a mind can be persuaded to help us do things we can't do for ourselves. The illusion of time is strong in the human brain. We don't remember the past as ...