Viewing profile — objectivistbrit

> Consider, as a particular example, the issue of capital punishment. Some people might feel that the risk to themselves of being convicted, correctly or incorrectly, and executed …

This book offers some of the most cogent arguments for anarco-capitalism, so I want to give a brief illustration of what an Objectivist counter-argument would look like. (For the u…

I think this is rather unfair. This blog offers an alternative perspective: https://racefortheironthrone.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/chapte... "A second theme we have here is the comp…

Have you read the book "Running on Empty" by Jonice Webb? It describes a pattern she identifies as "childhood emotional neglect" (a possibly misleading label). The pattern she desc…

The rationale for the drug laws is interesting: when Singapore gained independence in the 1960s, it was essentially a small third-world city without much of a local economy. Lee Ku…

This is an absurd story. Of course a woman can be a "maker". Of course an attractive person can be a "maker". But Naomi Wu's entire shtick seems to be "skimpily dressed girl with f…

This article keeps asserting its core premise, but never offers any evidence. It cites people who agree with the premise that wealth is underserved, but this is not the same as an …

This is a really weird comment. I re-read the article and it only mentions labour vs capital once, in passing. Mostly it talks in terms of owners vs managers, and the principal-age…

People are focusing on the wrong question. The question is not: what are the relative costs and benefits to user-repairable products? Of course there are both benefits and drawback…

People have (or should have) the right to manufacture whatever products they want, and other people should have the right to buy whatever products they want. The only restrictions …

It's great that such a phone exists. People should be able buy a Fairphone, or buy an unrepairable iPhone, or whatever phone fits their needs. The "right to repair" doesn't give pe…

This is really confused. Nothing has intrinsic value, but certain things have objectively-measurable properties that make them more suitable to be used as money. Scarcity, fungibil…

He talks about the unfairness of "our economic system" but he makes his income from Qatar's economic system. Qatar likes to spend their oil money on western professors to give them…

The following table (Employment by major industry sector) should be more widely known in this debate. The most relevant column is the second one (Thousands of Jobs, 2014). Just see…

I knew one of the founders when they were starting out... one of the other founders is the son of an Indian multi-billionaire, which probably opens a few doors. The founder I knew …

HN has tons of threads on contemporary politics. PG's essays are insightful and, though not perfect, usually go deeper than everyday left vs right talking points. HN has also becom…

No, you are the one who has redefined freedom. Freedom originally meant that you could deal with whoever you wanted on whatever terms both parties could agree on. It didn't mean th…

It really isn't. Most threads that touch on political or economic topics have a majority being pro-regulation, pro-spending, etc. Things are complicated because many tech libertari…

The many issues involved in being a landlord throw doubts on the theory that too much money is being made by "rentiers", at the expense of "real entrepreneurs".

The many issues involved in being a landlord throw doubts on the theory that too much money is being made by "rentiers", at the expense of "real entrepreneurs".

What especially annoys me about the Uber's management is that they believe themselves to be tough and no-nonsense - but in reality their behaviour is self-destructive. In other wor…

Game theory is a useful tool, but applying it to reality often over-simplifies things. There are suckers born every minute and, yes, you might be able to screw them over. If you do…

I have definitely met my share of sleazy characters in the startup world. However... No industry is immune to fraud, and the hotter the business, the more hucksters flock to it. Bu…