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Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

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Re: Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

#21

Post by gaius »

m_eiman wrote: post #19
gaius wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consider Zimbabwe. Its wealth was well, wealth , not money that's easy transferred, but fertile farms and abundant mines. Stuff that's inherent to the country itself. But Mugabe has brought it from the "breadbasket of Africa" to the brink or ruin (in fact, perhaps given the latest news from there, over the brink). Where did that wealth go? It wasn't transferred out by fleeing Europeans. It didn't even go into his Swi…

I don't see a connection. You're saying that the only people capable of constructing a functioning society are us Europeans? I really hope I'm reading you wrong.

No, it doesn't matter that they were European per se. Let's say they were people from planet X who showed up on planet Y, built a load of stuff and then left, and the people from planet Y have no idea how to operate any of it. You know, like in Stargate: SG1. The point is that the people who built it are often the only ones who can operate it.

Re: Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

#22

Post by cambellg »

gaius wrote: post #18
cambellg wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What aspect of Singapore's history gives lie to the theory that a tribe w/ portable resources will recirculate those resources within itself as it expands globally?

Singapore had no resources other than the brains of its people; they were the underclass who were booted out of Malaysia with just the shirts on their backs.

Ok... then they were colonized by a wealthy tribe. Where's the dichotomy?

Re: Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

#23

Post by cambellg »

gaius wrote: post #21
m_eiman wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see a connection. You're saying that the only people capable of constructing a functioning society are us Europeans? I really hope I'm reading you wrong.

No, it doesn't matter that they were European per se. Let's say they were people from planet X who showed up on planet Y, built a load of stuff and then left, and the people from planet Y have no idea how to operate any of it. You know, like in Stargate: SG1 . The point is that the people who built it are often the only ones who can operate it.

Singapore would disprove that theory. :)

Re: Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

#24

Post by m_eiman »

gaius wrote: post #21
m_eiman wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see a connection. You're saying that the only people capable of constructing a functioning society are us Europeans? I really hope I'm reading you wrong.

No, it doesn't matter that they were European per se. Let's say they were people from planet X who showed up on planet Y, built a load of stuff and then left, and the people from planet Y have no idea how to operate any of it. You know, like in Stargate: SG1 . The point is that the people who built it are often the only ones who can operate it.

Hehe, I guess we're in big trouble now that China is building all our stuff now then ;)

(Yes I know, most of it is still designed/developed in the west..)

Re: Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

#25

Post by gaius »

cambellg wrote: post #22
gaius wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Singapore had no resources other than the brains of its people; they were the underclass who were booted out of Malaysia with just the shirts on their backs.

Ok... then they were colonized by a wealthy tribe. Where's the dichotomy?

They became the wealthy tribe once they were free of the mainstream Malaysian class system.

Re: Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

#26

Post by gaius »

cambellg wrote: post #23
gaius wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it doesn't matter that they were European per se. Let's say they were people from planet X who showed up on planet Y, built a load of stuff and then left, and the people from planet Y have no idea how to operate any of it. You know, like in Stargate: SG1 . The point is that the people who built it are often the only ones who can operate it.

Singapore would disprove that theory. :)

:-)

Re: Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

#27

Post by DabAsteroid »

cambellg wrote: post #23
gaius wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it doesn't matter that they were European per se. Let's say they were people from planet X who showed up on planet Y, built a load of stuff and then left, and the people from planet Y have no idea how to operate any of it. You know, like in Stargate: SG1 . The point is that the people who built it are often the only ones who can operate it.

Singapore would disprove that theory. :)

How?

Re: Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

#28

Post by DabAsteroid »

gaius wrote: post #18
cambellg wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What aspect of Singapore's history gives lie to the theory that a tribe w/ portable resources will recirculate those resources within itself as it expands globally?

Singapore had no resources other than the brains of its people; they were the underclass who were booted out of Malaysia with just the shirts on their backs.

Singapore had no resources other than the brains of its people; they were the underclass who were booted out of Malaysia

Han Chinese are not Malays. From Appendix 1 of "IQ and the Wealth of Nations" by Lynn & Vanhanen (p218):

Singapore

In 1974, data for a representative sample of 147 ethnic Chinese and 190 ethnic Malay 13-year-olds for the Standard Progressive Matrices were collected (Lynn, 1976). In relation to the British 1979 standardization sample, the Chinese obtained a mean IQ of 106 and the Malays a mean IQ of 90.5. ... The population of Singapore is 76 percent Chinese, 14 percent Malay, and 7 percent Indian

Re: Brown economists: Ancestral history explains roots of income inequality

#29

Post by DabAsteroid »

gaius wrote: post #25
cambellg wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok... then they were colonized by a wealthy tribe. Where's the dichotomy?

They became the wealthy tribe once they were free of the mainstream Malaysian class system.

They became the wealthy tribe once they were free of the mainstream Malaysian class system.

Malays have little to do with Singapore's economy.

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