During his book tour Michael Shermer visited the offices of Reason magazine, who have recently added Reason.TV to their media package, a project helped launched by Drew Carey, who turns out to be a big fan of Skeptic magazine and all things skeptical. In this interview Reason magazine editor Nick Gillespie interviews Shermer on his new book, The Mind of the Market.
capitalism,
Darwin,
economics,
evolution,
markets,
mind,
neuroeconomics
read or write comments (6)
Evolution and economics are both examples
of a larger mysterious phenomenon
Living along the Orioco River that borders Brazil and Venezuela are the Yanomamö people, hunter-gatherers whose average annual income has been estimated at the equivalent of $90 per person per year. Living along the Hudson River that borders New York State and New Jersey are the Manhattan people, consumer- traders whose average annual income has been estimated at $36,000 per person per year. That dramatic difference of 400 times, however, pales in comparison to the differences in Stock Keeping Units (SKUs, a retail measure of the number of types of products available), which has been estimated at 300 for the Yanomamö and 10 billion for the Manhattans, a difference of 33 million times! (continue reading…)
complexity,
Darwin,
economics,
evolution,
free trade,
Yanomamo
read or write comments (5)
Order from Skeptic.com
ORDER the hardcover book
ORDER the lecture based on the book
About the book
In Darwin’s Shadow explores the multi-faceted side of this polymathic genius, including his work in ancient history and archaeology, animal behavior, astronomy and cosmology, botany, entomology, ethnography and ethnology, evolutionary ethics, evolutionary theory, exobiology, history of science and evolutionary thought, geography and geology, linguistics, the origins of life and the plurality of worlds, paleontology, phrenology, primatology, spiritualism, systematics and taxonomy, and zoology. Shermer also delves into the many eccentric and fringe causes championed by Wallace throughout his career: anti-vaccination, conservation of the environment, crime and punishment, eugenics, labor reform, land nationalization, railroad nationalization, religion and the role of institutionalized churches, socialism, trade regulation, and women’s rights and suffrage. (continue reading…)
biology,
Darwin,
evolution,
science,
Wallace
read or write comments (0)
The link between Adam Smith’s invisible hand and Charles Darwin’s natural selection is just one reason why conservatives should embrace the theory of evolution
Charles Darwin is back in the news, with Kansas school board members once again shifting seats Left and Right (with liberals this time winning out). Is there really a liberal-conservative split over the theory of evolution? There is. According to a 2005 Harris Poll, 63 percent of liberals but only 37 percent of conservatives believe that humans and apes have a common ancestry. Similarly, a 2005 Pew Research Center poll found that 60 percent of Republicans are creationists while only 11 percent accept evolution, compared to 29 percent of Democrats who are creationists and 44 percent who accept evolution. (continue reading…)
Christian,
conservatives,
creationism,
Darwin,
evolution
read or write comments (5)