Ideas move the world.
What’s moving the world mostly at the moment is bad is bad ideas: bad ideas (as these links explain) on capitalism and economics, on science and the environment and global warming , on political philosophy, on philosophy itself.
But one man, and one small group can have an effect (as Margaret Mead was supposed to have said, “Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”)
This post over at the New Clarion offers the excellent example of Joe the Plumber making a difference[hat tip Thrutch], including this unarguable conclusion:
Just think: one plumber who has read Mises rocked the Obama campaign for days. If one educated American can have such an effect, imagine what would happen if just 5% of Americans read good economics and good philosophy. The welfare state would be seriously challenged. It might even be over.
A few of us are gearing up in the New Year to start systematically working towards that 5% goal in this country. It’s about cultural change, stupid.
If you’d like to be part of the project, keep an eye out here for details in the New Year.
Caplan suggests that ideas get worse during downturns: he calls it the Idea Trap. Long story short, when a recession hits, folks start grasping at straws and supporting all kinds of policy nonsense. That leads to worse policies and worse ideas.
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