In the 1700s, when the British started selling Opium to China, it proved to be extremely lucrative. British ships were able to procure opium at extremely cheap prices, and sell them to China at vastly inflated markups. The primary market for this opium was Chinese laborers, who used it to get high and forget the … Continue reading The Growth of Economies
Not many know about this, but Hitler had a soft spot in his heart for at least one Jewish person. Eduard Bloch was an Austrian doctor practicing in Linz (Austria) and until 1907 the physician of Adolf Hitler’s family... Bloch was held in high regard, particularly among the lower and indigent social classes. It was … Continue reading Thinking with Principles
Source I am a worrier. I worry constantly about things that other people seem to just take in stride. I worry about the things that could go very wrong in my life, and what I can do to pre-empt or mitigate them. At different times in my life, I have worried intensely about: Being unemployedDying … Continue reading Be Very Afraid of Being Too Afraid
Source I read today a very thought-provoking piece by Yuval Harari, a historian and philosopher. “You can vote but you can’t choose what is true.” A paraphrased summary of his thesis: Elections are awful ways of determining what is true. For that, we need to turn to experts and institutions, not popularity contests. However, elections … Continue reading We Don’t Need Elections to Figure Out What People Want
Source Disclaimer: The intended audience for this article is someone who is reasonably savvy on financial planning. If you’re a novice, stop reading now and just do whatever your financial planner tells you to do. The conventional advice for financial planning in retirement has generally been the 4% rule. Ie, on the day of your … Continue reading Rethinking Retirement Financial Planning
Source Stoic philosophy is often assumed to have originated entirely in Greece, through philosophers such as Zeno. However, such a characterization ignores vastly similar Eastern philosophies such as those found in Buddhism or the Bhagavad Gita - a text that was authored in a similar time period, transmitted orally for centuries prior, and is one … Continue reading The First Stoics – Philosophical Themes In The Bhagavad Gita
Source Nov 19 2119, New York - There was a time when most people in the world were impoverished food renters. Ownership of food was concentrated in the hands of a tiny sliver of farmers and big corporations. Everyone else was at the mercy of this tiny sliver who wielded all the power. Until one … Continue reading People Used To Throw Their Money Away At The Grocery Store
With the rise of Xenophobia all over the world, from Trump to Brexit to the Freedom Party, it’s worth pausing for a second and asking ourselves why. Why are people so threatened by immigrant workers? Why are people so threatened by the growth and progress happening in foreign countries? Why are people so threatened by … Continue reading The Lump of Labor Fallacy
There is a widespread perception that “political correctness” is characteristic of liberals. It certainly is true that liberals are quick to pounce on statements that stereotype or offend certain demographics. That said, here are some instances of conservatives showing they can be just as politically correct, about the people and issues they care about. “Calming … Continue reading Conservatives for Political Correctness
Source I've heard no shortage of stereotypes in my life. I've heard stereotypes about Men, Women, Whites, Blacks, Mexicans, Indians, Chinese, Arabs, Italians, French, Israelis, Canadians, Brits, Americans, Engineers, Lawyers, Bankers, Cops and even Postal workers. You name it, I've heard it. Every now and then, I come across a positive stereotype. "Japanese people have … Continue reading Is It Okay To Stereotype?
