Adam Smith argued that everyone will ultimately benefit when each person acts out of self interest. For a long time now, economists have now shown that Smith's view was naïve, and that even rational people will act in ways that leave everyone worse off. This dysfunctional process leads to an…
You'll find the trailer to this new Morgan Spurlock documentary here. Here's the promo: From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) was a lost idealist who hitchhiked to New York City only…
Huffpo published this piece on a businessman who takes anti-consumerism seriously: Travel company operator Hal Taussig buys his clothes from thrift shops, resoles his shoes and reads magazines for free at the public library. The 83-year-old founder of Untours also gives away all of his company's profits to help the…
Compliments of Dana Milbank. For those who'd like to reminisce.
The Templeton Foundation is promulgating a set of short essays by twelve prominent thinkers and writers. I’ve recently noticed these essays in several magazines. Templeton asked the following question to its panel: “Does the Universe Have a Purpose?” The answers ranged from “yes” to “not sure” to “unlikely” to “no.” …