Marginal Revolution
@marginalrev.blogsky.venki.dev
Small steps towards a much better world.
Automated feed of https://marginalrevolution.com/, find more feeds at @blogsky.venki.dev
Automated feed of https://marginalrevolution.com/, find more feeds at @blogsky.venki.dev
What I've been reading - Marginal REVOLUTION
What I've been reading - Marginal REVOLUTION
1. Thomas Meyer-Wieser, Cairo: Architectural Guide. A picture book, sort of. Reading a book on the architectural history of a place, while intrinsically interesting, is also usually the best way to learn the non-architectural history of that same place. Recommended. 2. Mary Hays, Memoirs of Emma Courtney. A late 18th English fictional memoir, still underrated […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM
What I've been reading - Marginal REVOLUTION
What we're grateful for - Marginal REVOLUTION
What we're grateful for - Marginal REVOLUTION
Here is the Free Press symposium, here is my contribution: Tyler Cowen, columnist I am grateful for how many parts of the world I can visit freely. I have been to roughly 105 countries and have not had serious problems getting to them, entering them, or leaving them. Nor have I contracted any serious illnesses […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:15 PM
What we're grateful for - Marginal REVOLUTION
Thursday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
Thursday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
1. Good analysis of the proposed Ukraine deal, by a Ukrainian economist who is fighting for Ukraine. 2. Chinese AI as homework monitor? 3. David Goodhart on Britain. 4. Jana Gallus profile. 5. Charlie Munger’s final years (WSJ). ““His last delivery was Korean fried chicken: A whole chicken, kimchi fried rice and waffle fries,” Jackson […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Thursday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
Thanksgiving and the Lessons of Political Economy - Marginal REVOLUTION
Thanksgiving and the Lessons of Political Economy - Marginal REVOLUTION
Time to re-up my 2004 post on thanksgiving and the lessons of political economy. Here it is with no indent: It’s one of the ironies of American history that when the Pilgrims first arrived at Plymouth rock they promptly set about creating a communist society. Of course, they were soon starving to death. Fortunately, “after […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Thanksgiving and the Lessons of Political Economy - Marginal REVOLUTION
My excellent Conversation with Cass Sunstein - Marginal REVOLUTION
My excellent Conversation with Cass Sunstein - Marginal REVOLUTION
Cass was in top form, and so we went on for almost two hours. In his Substack he described it as “The most fun interview I have ever done.” Here is the audio, video, and transcript. Here is part of the episode summary: Tyler and Cass discuss whether liberalism is self-undermining or simply vulnerable to […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:00 AM
My excellent Conversation with Cass Sunstein - Marginal REVOLUTION
Race and economic well-being in the United States - Marginal REVOLUTION
Race and economic well-being in the United States - Marginal REVOLUTION
We construct a measure of consumption-equivalent welfare for Black and White Americans, which incorporates life expectancy, consumption, leisure, and inequality. Based on these factors, welfare for Black Americans was 40 percent of that for White Americans in 1984 and 59 percent by 2022. There has been remarkable progress for Black Americans: The level of their […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Race and economic well-being in the United States - Marginal REVOLUTION
Wednesday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
Wednesday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
1. On the romanticism of Rudolf Steiner. 2. Proving new math theorems with AI. And the AI for Science Executive Order. Genesis Mission! 3. The AI invasion of knitting and crochet? 4. Nouriel Roubini is optimistic about the economy (FT). And taxes have been rising too much on the wealthiest Brits (FT). 5. The speed […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Wednesday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
"Why ‘Humane’ Immigration Policy Ends in Cruelty" - Marginal REVOLUTION
"Why ‘Humane’ Immigration Policy Ends in Cruelty" - Marginal REVOLUTION
That is the title of my latest Free Press column, which is interesting throughout. Here is one bit from it: Behind any immigration debate is an uncomfortable truth: In rich, successful democracies, every workable immigration policy, over enough time, offends liberal instincts or public opinion—often both. We oscillate between compassion and coercive control, and the […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:35 AM
"Why ‘Humane’ Immigration Policy Ends in Cruelty" - Marginal REVOLUTION
Emergent Ventures India, 13th cohort - Marginal REVOLUTION
Emergent Ventures India, 13th cohort - Marginal REVOLUTION
Khyathi Komalan, sophomore at Caltech majoring in math, received her grant for career development, and to support her research applying category theory to everything from quantum physics to social relationships. Soumil Nema, cofounder of NeoVes, received his grant to develop stem cell therapies treating neurological disorders like stroke and neuropathy. Anushka Punukollu, 17, a high […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Emergent Ventures India, 13th cohort - Marginal REVOLUTION
Tuesday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
Tuesday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
1. Gideon Lewis-Kraus on Beckert on capitalism (New Yorker). 2. How good are social scientists as forecasters? 3. Zvi on Gemini 3.0. 4. Jimmy Cliff, RIP. 5. Nuclear Regulatory Review for the UK. 6. Leaderboard for AI predictors. 7. The import of rare coding variants. 8. Claude 4.5 Opus.
marginalrevolution.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Tuesday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
Why are Mormons so Libertarian? - Marginal REVOLUTION
Why are Mormons so Libertarian? - Marginal REVOLUTION
Connor Hansen has a very good essay on Why Are Latter-day Saints So Libertarian? It serves both as an introduction to LDS theology and as an explanation for why that theology resonates with classical liberal ideas. I’ll summarize, with the caveat that I may get a few theological details wrong. LDS metaphysics posits a universe […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Why are Mormons so Libertarian? - Marginal REVOLUTION
*God's Grandeur* - Marginal REVOLUTION
*God's Grandeur* - Marginal REVOLUTION
The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod? Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:10 AM
*God's Grandeur* - Marginal REVOLUTION
LLMs Position Themselves as More Rational Than Humans - Marginal REVOLUTION
LLMs Position Themselves as More Rational Than Humans - Marginal REVOLUTION
That is the title of a new paper by Kyung-Hoon Kim, I differ from his terminology (“self-aware”), but the results are interesting nonetheless: As Large Language Models (LLMs) grow in capability, do they develop self-awareness as an emergent behavior? And if so, can we measure it? We introduce the AI Self-Awareness Index (AISAI), a game-theoretic […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:30 AM
LLMs Position Themselves as More Rational Than Humans - Marginal REVOLUTION
Prediction markets in everything - Marginal REVOLUTION
Prediction markets in everything - Marginal REVOLUTION
Prediction market Kalshi Inc. and sneaker marketplace StockX are offering a new way to bet on the resale prices of in-demand sneakers and collectibles such as Labubus and Pokémon cards. In a partnership announced Wednesday, Kalshi will use StockX data to create so-called event contracts tied to sneakers, trading cards and figurines. Users will be able to trade on outcomes […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Prediction markets in everything - Marginal REVOLUTION
Monday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
Monday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
1. The robustness of twin studies. 2. Suggestions for improving the NIH. 3. DOGE has been undercovered, here is one recent story. 4. Henry Oliver and Rebecca Lowe on re-founding classical liberalism. 5. Interview with Justin Kuiper, who is behind 500 million plus YouTube views. 6. Paul Krugman on negative emotional contagion (my framing, not […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Monday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
I talk talent networks and mentoring and Christianity with Luke Burgis - Marginal REVOLUTION
I talk talent networks and mentoring and Christianity with Luke Burgis - Marginal REVOLUTION
From Grand Rapids, Michigan, earlier in the year, here is the link. Here is Luke’s Cluny Institute, which sponsored the event. And here is Luke’s book on Rene Girard.
marginalrevolution.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:40 PM
I talk talent networks and mentoring and Christianity with Luke Burgis - Marginal REVOLUTION
Side-Walking Problems - Marginal REVOLUTION
Side-Walking Problems - Marginal REVOLUTION
Local Law 11 requires owners of New York City’s 16,000-plus buildings over six stories to get a “close-up, hands-on” facade inspection every five years. Repair costs in NYC’s bureaucratic and labor-union driven system are very high, so the owners throw up “temporary” plywood sheds that often sit there for a decade. NYC now has some […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Side-Walking Problems - Marginal REVOLUTION
What should I ask Arthur C. Brooks? - Marginal REVOLUTION
What should I ask Arthur C. Brooks? - Marginal REVOLUTION
Yes I will be doing a Conversation with him. Here is Wikipedia: Since 2019, Brooks has served as the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Nonprofit and Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and at the Harvard Business School as a Professor of Management Practice and Faculty Fellow.[2] Previously, Brooks served as the 11th President of the American […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:05 AM
What should I ask Arthur C. Brooks? - Marginal REVOLUTION
Will the most important pop stars of the future be religious pop stars? - Marginal REVOLUTION
Will the most important pop stars of the future be religious pop stars? - Marginal REVOLUTION
The personally irreligious (last I checked) economist Tyler Cowen has long been fond of proposing that the most important thinkers of the future will be religious thinkers—counter to everything we heard growing up in the age of the New Atheists, and yet, the evidence seems to keep amassing. After the recent release of LUX, the Spanish polymath Rosalía’s fourth […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Will the most important pop stars of the future be religious pop stars? - Marginal REVOLUTION
*The Age of Disclosure* - Marginal REVOLUTION
*The Age of Disclosure* - Marginal REVOLUTION
I have now watched the whole movie. The first twenty-eight minutes are truly excellent, the best statement of the case for taking UAPs seriously. It is impressive how they lined up dozens of serious figures, from the military and intelligence services, willing to insist that UAPs are a real phenomenon, supported by multiple sources of […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:20 PM
*The Age of Disclosure* - Marginal REVOLUTION
Sunday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
Sunday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
1. How to learn quarterbacking without quarterbacking — life of a back-up quarterback (NYT). 2. Major ancient city of the Kazakh steppe. 3. Are sperm whales speaking in vowels? 4. Game theory of Europe and Ukrainian peace? 5. Seb Krier. 6. “The space of intelligences is large…” 7. Delacroix and the beautiful.
marginalrevolution.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Sunday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
Enlightenment ideas and the belief in progress leading up to the Industrial Revolution - Marginal REVOLUTION
Enlightenment ideas and the belief in progress leading up to the Industrial Revolution - Marginal REVOLUTION
Using textual analysis of 173,031 works printed in England between 1500 and 1900, we test whether British culture evolved to manifest a heightened belief in progress associated with science and industry. Our analysis yields three main findings. First, there was a separation in the language of science and religion beginning in the 17th century. Second, […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Enlightenment ideas and the belief in progress leading up to the Industrial Revolution - Marginal REVOLUTION
Emergent Ventures winners, 49th cohort - Marginal REVOLUTION
Emergent Ventures winners, 49th cohort - Marginal REVOLUTION
David Yang, 14, Vancouver, robotics. Alex Araki, London, to improve clinical trials. Ivan Skripnik, Moldova/LA, physics and the nature of space. Mihai Codreanu, Stanford economics Ph.D, industrial parks and the origins of innovation. Salvador Duarte, Lisbon/Nebraska, 17, podcast in economics and philosophy. Aras Zirgulis, Vilnius, short economics videos. Ava McGurk, 17, Belfast, therapy and other […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Emergent Ventures winners, 49th cohort - Marginal REVOLUTION
What is opera? - Marginal REVOLUTION
What is opera? - Marginal REVOLUTION
The quality common to all the great operatic roles, e.g., Don Giovanni, Norma, Lucia, Tristan, Isolde, Brunnhilde, is that each of them is a passionate and willful state of being. In reali life they would all be bores, even Don Giovanni. In recompense for this lack of psychological complexity, however, music can do what words […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:40 PM
What is opera? - Marginal REVOLUTION
Saturday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
Saturday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION
1. New claims about quantum gravity. 2. Ranking countries by English language proficiency (Ghana should be higher!). 3. Travis Kalanick with some claims about tipping. 4. 32-minute Benedict Evans talk, AI-related. 5. The boring side of Bell Labs. 6. Jobs at Recoding America Fund. 7. FT lunch with Philippe Aghion. 8. More on the Toner-Rodgers […]
marginalrevolution.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Saturday assorted links - Marginal REVOLUTION