Are Solar Panels Really Black? And What Does That Have to Do With the Climate Debate?
It seems inevitable that discussions of climate science would degenerate to being deeply politicized and polarized. Depending on which views are adopted, individuals, industries, and countries will gain or lose, which provides ample motive. Once people with a strong political or ideological bent latch onto an issue, it becomes hard to have a reasonable discussion; once you’re in a political mode, the focus in the discussion changes. Everything becomes an attempt to protect territory. Evidence and logic becomes secondary, used when advantageous and discarded when expedient. What should be a rational debate becomes a personal and venal brawl. Rational, scientific debate that could advance the common good gets usurped by personal attacks and counterattacks. Read More »
SuperFreakonomics Is Out Today
SuperFreakonomics officially debuts today, already near the top of the Amazon bestseller lists here in the U.S., in Canada, and in the U. K.. The Financial Times calls SuperFreakonomics “a page-turner… a book with plenty of style; underneath the dazzle, there is substance too.” The New York Post advises: “Don’t go to the water cooler without it.” Read More »
Why We Love to Hate Awards
Obama expressed his disappointment recently when rapper Kanye West stormed the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to protest singer Taylor Swift’s win of the “Best Female Video” trophy. Soon after, Obama himself was Swifted by critics who felt he was undeserving of his Nobel Prize win. This process is “not wildly out of character with how awards generally work,” writes Jonathan Chait at The New Republic. Read More »
Financial (Il)Literacy Among the Young
We blogged a while back about the sad state of financial literacy in this country. This has been diligently investigated by Annamaria Lusardi and Olivia S. Mitchell, who insert a few financial questions in government longitudinal surveys. Here’s an example. Read More »
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