tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post7488578776695923862..comments2023-04-03T05:20:01.318-04:00Comments on Young, Hip and Conservative: a skeptical blog: My greatest intellectual influencesMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00427964335321253510noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post-68318697967009529352010-05-21T14:44:26.135-04:002010-05-21T14:44:26.135-04:00Economics in One Lesson is one of my favorite book...Economics in One Lesson is one of my favorite books.<br /><br />My own list would include Atlas Shrugged, the Anarchists Cookbook, Xenophon's Anabasis of Cyrus, David Mamet's On Directing Film, among others.Mark Lindholmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14184361531569761797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post-34676593568310149032010-05-21T10:12:36.495-04:002010-05-21T10:12:36.495-04:00Sean Masaki Flynn did that very strongly. The idea...Sean Masaki Flynn did that very strongly. The idea of subsidizing things that produce positive side effects (externalities) to encourage them is a defendable position, as well as "Pigovian taxes" to discourage things with negative side effects. This is very much an anti-free market policy, but it uses market forces.<br /><br />Because of him, I feel I understand the limitations on market-based solutions and the case for government intervention, and my libertarian influences weren't tripping over themselves to make them known. I imagine I could get the same lessons from any economics intro book, but Flynn was concise and fun.<br /><br />George Orwell, Paul Krugman, J. Brad Delong, Carl Sagan are all true blue leftists, two of them economists. I've yet to read something from any of them that truly shook my foundation. As I hinted at, modern Krugman isn't as good, and I don't think he's as good a source as he was.<br /><br />I have yet to hear a good argument for central planning or the abolishment of capitalism. I have heard many good arguments for government spending and market intervention.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00427964335321253510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1279973426476621559.post-36952699415543151372010-05-21T09:09:09.808-04:002010-05-21T09:09:09.808-04:00I'll definitely have to check out "The My...I'll definitely have to check out "The Myth of Violence." I've always argued that our world is significantly better off than before - despite the atrocities of the early 20th century (and ignoring possible environmental threats.) Robert Wright (an evolutionary psychologist) wrote a great book called "Nonzero" that also illustrated the increasing complex construct of human relations that is driving us towards interdependence and peace. It's more of an anthropological book - but fascinating, none the less. <br /><br />I wonder... do you ever find leftist works that - while maybe not completely convincing - at least leave you questioning your present economic understandings?Jeremyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14317329031513410342noreply@blogger.com