Author Archive | Tyler Cowen

Clay Whittaker, one of the youngest bloggers, recently posted the following: “I have just heard in the news that–as of today–Toledo bars have found a loophole in our smoking ban. As you all probably know, a few months ago a ban on all smoking in bars and restaurants in the Toledo area was passed, unless […]

Blogger Arnold Kling offers a short monograph in on-line form, replete with links. I love the title: “The Best of Economics.” I have only browsed through the contents, but I was very favorably inclined and I can recommend Kling more generally. Unlike many economists, Kling also has met success in the world of business, see […]

Most blog readers don’t click on the links, I have found. But if you don’t click on this link, don’t bother reading any further. The bottom line: a Swedish museum is displaying an artwork that would appear to glorify Palestinian suicide bombings. (In fairness I should note the artist, an expat Israeli, disavows this interpretation, […]

The IRS is starting a large-scale audit of The Nature Conservancy, one of the largest non-profits in the nation. Today’s Washington Post presents the gory details, note that the published version is much longer and more detailed than the on-line account. Here is an earlier article. The institution made major loans to employees and board […]

“I’m pretty skeptical about this $1.5 billion for marriage promotion. I mean, if our mothers can’t chivvy us into marriage, when they’re right there, nagging us constantly, starting every other goddamn sentence with “You know, if I had grandchildren, this would be a great opportunity to . . . “, mentioning ever-so-casually how nice we […]

It is very very cold today, even in Virginia. One estimate notes that about 770 Americans a year die from cold temperatures, supposedly more than die from hot temperatures (note: here is a measure of heat deaths, the comparison is a difficult one). We are also offered the following on the economic effects of extreme […]

As you may recall from yesterday, I asked whether an immortal would necessarily be considered a murderer, given that accidents happen sooner or later. Drive on the roads for a few million years, and you are likely to run over a pedestrian. A related question is whether we should prohibit such actions, such as driving […]

Here is a link to a recent short piece by Virginia Postrel. My personal opinion, consistent with Virginia’s presentation, is that gay relationships are indeed an evolved part of a voluntary market order, and also deserving of various legal protections. A Hayekian therefore can without contradiction embrace the idea of gay marriage, although admittedly simply […]

Yesterday Mario Rizzo sent me the following, which I pass along for your interest: “An exciting new journal has been founded at the NYU Law School. It will be called, The NYU Journal of Law and Liberty. Its mission is to publish articles that develop classical liberal approaches to legal issues as well as those […]

I’ve been overwhelmed by responses to my query from yesterday as to whether an immortal necessarily is a murderer with a probability approaching one, given the risk of accidents. Thank you all for writing, I can’t thank you all individually and respond to each, I will distill some of the responses once they stop arriving. […]

Here is a philosophical problem I am working on, it also draws on some aspects of tort law, your comments are always welcome: “There is an arbitrariness in defining the relevant class of risky events. In my lifetime as a driver, I stand some (fairly low) chance of killing an innocent pedestrian. Few people would […]

President Bush is planning a new pro-marriage initiative, read The New York Times account. The centerpiece calls for the government to provide $1.5 billion in training “to help couples develop interpersonal skills that sustain “healthy marriages.”” In other words, subsidized marriage education and counseling. One bureaucrat from HHS assures us that “All services will be […]

Richard Florida, a Carnegie Mellon professor, has been arguing that cities must become trendy places to compete in the new economy. His book The Rise of the Creative Class has been a big hit. In his view a city should try to attract gays, bohemians, and ethnic minorities, all to lure creative workers. Those workers […]

Hasn’t all this talk about the Atkins diet made you suspicious? For years it was neglected and now many scientists are saying it works. Have there been so many big changes in our understanding in such a short time? The Atkins idea, after all, dates from the nineteenth century if not earlier. And surely it […]

Read here, just in case you missed it. We are one of his three favorite blogs. His favorite book is Neil Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, his favorite movie is The Stunt Man, his favorite composer is Bach, I can only say great taste all around! Here is one nice excerpt: “Can you name a major moral, political […]