ISIS does not want to be called Daesh. The group considers the acronym insulting and dismissive. An increasing number of its opponents do not want it to be called the “Islamic State.” They fear that this shorthand reifies the terrorist group’s claims to be a legitimate government. The debate reminds us that names have power. […]
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to lift the 40 year-long ban on crude oil exports last month. The White House has already threatened to veto the measure if it passes the Senate. U.S. energy policy remains stuck in the 1970s, when tight restrictions were imposed by Washington on the export of U.S. crude oil […]
Affirmative action is before the Supreme Court again this week, as it rehears arguments in Fisher v. University of Texas. (I’ve discussed the legal issues in Fisher here.) But perhaps the most important question about racial preferences is one that’s not directly raised by the case: do they even work? Do they help underrepresented minorities to […]
A good argument can be made that free speech is least safe on private college campuses. At public universities, the First Amendment applies, thus giving students, faculty members, and everyone else protection against official censorship or punishment for saying things that some people don’t want said. A splendid example of that was brought to a conclusion […]
The survey is courtesy of The Freeman.
Do we deserve to keep the profits that result from our actions? Most libertarians would maintain that any economic profit — the residual of revenue over cost — that you earn from voluntary exchange is indeed moral and rightly belongs to you. The puzzling thing is that standard microeconomic theory, which libertarians as well-known as […]
We Shouldn’t Use a Term Coined by the System’s Enemies! Wouldn’t it be nice if we could simply invent new terms to replace the words that seem to cause more heat than light? For example, I have written before of my qualms about using the word capitalism to describe the free-market economy. The word was […]
A subtext of most of the superhero genre of fiction is that government has failed. It doesn’t provide the security people need. Superheros (Batman, Superman, Spiderman, et alia) have to step in. The portrayal of the police and public servants in this genre ranges between incompetent and corrupt. At its best, the public sector can get […]
On Saturday, for the first time in 95 years, the New York Times published an op-ed on the front page, position A1, above the fold. The subject of that op-ed: “End the Gun Epidemic in America.” The piece is filled with tired arguments and moralistic fervor, and it even includes the most vacuous of all […]
Of the demands being made by protesters in the current wave of unrest on American campuses, some no doubt are well grounded and worth considering. Some of them, on the other hand, challenge academic freedom head on. Some would take control of curriculum and hiring out of the hands of faculty. Some would enforce conformity […]
Libertarians like to think of themselves as economically literate, at least when compared to other political groups, and for the most part, I believe that’s true. But there are at least three mistakes that I keep hearing even libertarians make when talking about the free market. Mistake #1: “The free market doesn’t need regulation.” One […]
Hans Rosling is a Swedish doctor and statistician, and in his many talks and videos, he clearly and eloquently presents big-picture data about the world, human progress, and economic development. Here are three essential Hans Rosling videos that make me grateful and excited to be alive today. 1) The Magic Washing Machine 2) 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 […]
Thanksgiving is almost upon us and the time has come for that most sacred of American traditions: bemoaning the rising cost of living. Per this Bloombergheadline on Thursday, “Thanksgiving Meal Costs Most Ever as Bird Flu Hits Turkeys.” Well, that’s complete and utter nonsense. The headline grabbing data comes from the American Farm Bureau Federation, which […]
Bitcoin evangelist, FEE’s director of digital development, and Liberty.me founder Jeffrey Tucker was not always a Bitcoin believer. He initially struggled with how a non-tangible item could possibly qualify as money, much less “sound money.” But Bitcoin’s persistence as a medium of exchange kept Tucker on a fiery path of research which eventually lead to a […]
Now that the final movie in the series is out, we know that The Hunger Games is not just a pop movie series for young adults, a fantasy tale about about a young girl’s heroism. It is far more sophisticated than that: It is a political allegory, one of the best known of our time, about power and […]