May 30, 2012
Different Norms for Valorizing Soldiers
Most societies valorize soldiers. Such social norms cause the following effects, among others: It increases the benefits of being a soldier relative to the costs, and thus can induce more…
Year: 2012
May 30, 2012
Some Praise for Strings Attached
I’m writing a review of Ruth Grant’s Strings Attached for Public Choice. (The book concerns the ethics of incentives. It asks: Under what conditions is it right or wrong for different people…
May 30, 2012
We are Statists in Classical Liberal Clothing
At Politics & Prosperity, the author (read his bio here) writes: The BHL proponents of “social justice” are intelligent and clever persons. They know what they are doing by wrapping their…
May 30, 2012
On Reasonable Pluralism and Being Mean
Over the last week I’ve been reflecting on a number of related blog posts on whether it is OK to be “mean” to other bloggers, especially academic bloggers.* One surprisingly…
May 29, 2012
Wilkinson on Hero Inflation
Here. Calling “hero” everyone killed in war, no matter the circumstances of their death, not only helps sustain the ethos of martial glory that keeps young men and women signing…
May 29, 2012
Pick a Set of Deaths
Suppose there are two states, MoreJustia and LessJustia. Both MoreJustia and LessJustia are unjust states, but MoreJustia is significantly closer to being just and legitimate than LessJustia. Suppose for a…