Is Bourbaki the enemy?

Lars Syll, whose blog I always find well worth reading, has written an interesting short piece about the baleful influence of the Bourbaki school on economics. I agree with the main point, but I think that this raises a lot of complex issues which I want to partially wade through in this blog entry. I'm … Continue reading Is Bourbaki the enemy? →

Conspiracy Theories and Academic Freedom: Part I.

I recently read about the case of Joy Karega, who was dismissed last fall from her tenure track position at Oberlin College for "intellectual dishonesty" in her Facebook posts (for a few more specifics on this case, see also here). The initial objections to her Facebook posts stemmed from their allegedly anti-semitic character. At least one of … Continue reading Conspiracy Theories and Academic Freedom: Part I. →

What is evolutionary social theory?

With summer now officially here, I have been able to turn my attention towards beginning my book project on evolutionary social theory. I now have a draft of about one third or so of my first chapter. The actual draft is a bit longer. I've taken out some of the more extensive background discussion of … Continue reading What is evolutionary social theory? →

Reforming Economics Education

There is a good deal of discussion these days about what is wrong with how economics is taught at the University level. For some examples, see Lars Syll's blog , The Institute for New Economic Thinking, and this recent article in VOX about controversies surrounding Greg Mankiw's Principles of Economics course and text and alternatives to it at Harvard. I've now completed the … Continue reading Reforming Economics Education →

Why Centrist Democrats are Wrong

In a recent column, political commentator and centrist Democrat Fareed Zakaria argues that the current round of progressive policy proposals such as The Green New Deal and Single Payer Health Care are the wrong ideas for the Democratic Party. The right ideas, according to Zakaria, are the kinds of "wonky proposals" that centrists have advocated over the last … Continue reading Why Centrist Democrats are Wrong →

Who’s afraid of Socialism?

As a recent article in the The New Republic notes, the word "socialism" has become virtually meaningless in American politics. President Trump throws the word around as a scare tactic , Kamala Harris disavows it, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Octavio Cortes celebrate it, while others use it as a euphemism for National Health Insurance. It is not surprising … Continue reading Who’s afraid of Socialism? →

Democrats and Foreign Policy: Round 2

The recent controversy surrounding Ilhan Omar has got me thinking more about both the Democrats and Republicans on foreign policy. In reflecting on her comments, I am inclined to agree that her reference to "Benjamins" was at best, an unthinking resort to anti-Semitic tropes. An interesting article in The Atlantic makes the argument that this kind of statement makes the sort of public discussion we need to have about Israel … Continue reading Democrats and Foreign Policy: Round 2 →

The Democrats’ Foreign Policy Problem

If one begins from the premise that the goal is to replace Donald Trump with a Progressive Democrat in 2020, there are good reasons not to support Tulsi Gabbard in her Presidential bid. Then again, there are also good reasons not to support Kamala Harris, or for that matter, any of the erstwhile centrist alternatives. My point … Continue reading The Democrats’ Foreign Policy Problem →

Updates on the Links Page

I've been in the process of compiling useful and informative links for this site. I have it broken into four categories: News and General Commentary Useful Academic Resources Higher Ed and Assessment Martial Arts and Fitness I've linked to sites that in my view have something to say that is worth reading in the context of political … Continue reading Updates on the Links Page →