Monday, July 30, 2007
we like punishment
a basic public good game consists of a group playing together where each person has some money and can give some to the public kitty. the sum amount is then multiplied and divided back amongst the group. it creates a dilemma where you really should not contribute, keeping all of your money, but let everyone else contribute and get some of their money. of course, if everyone did this, no one would contribute and everyone would earn less than if they all contributed everything.
the game has been done a million times with many different manipulations. one manipulation is to allow others to punish free riders - those that didn't contribute - by reducing their earnings. this tends to increase contributions, maintaining them at a higher level than without punishment, and generally increase efficiency of the system.
but what of well-being? perhaps people prefer to live in a world without punishment? not the case, says a new study:
the game has been done a million times with many different manipulations. one manipulation is to allow others to punish free riders - those that didn't contribute - by reducing their earnings. this tends to increase contributions, maintaining them at a higher level than without punishment, and generally increase efficiency of the system.
but what of well-being? perhaps people prefer to live in a world without punishment? not the case, says a new study:
...harsher punishment possibilities lead to signifcantly [sic] higher well-being, controlling for earnings and other relevant variables. People derive independent satisfaction from interacting under the protection of strong punishment possibilities.what does this say about humans? do we enjoy living in an environment where we can punish? or are punished? or can injure lazy people? a follow-up should separate satisfaction from punishing from satisfaction and reducing the incomes of their opponents... they attempted it with the hard vs. soft punishment (hard punishment reduced the punished's income much more at the same cost), and it seems to indicate that more than anything they enjoyed the hard punishment - that is, the more they could reduced the free rider's income, the more they enjoyed the game. and, although they controlled for income, can income really be completely separated from punishment when it increases along with income, and "causes" that increase?
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Tuesday, January 02, 2007
a brave new world without disgust
marc hauser thinks that disgust is the root of many woes. but not to fear, we may have a solution:
moreover, disgust can be a powerful positive force as well. for example, disgust may be partially responsible for the cast system, but modern efforts to eradicate it are also motivated partially based on the exact same emotion. disgust at hunger, homelessness, and other woes motivates many individuals to do good work. perhaps we would still be motivated to enact change without this emotion, as (semi)rational humans, but would our motivation be as powerful? probably not. we should be careful in vilifying certain feelings - and proposing the permanent elimination of them - because of the actions of a few.
"modern molecular techniques will one day find a way to cure Huntington's, but along the way, work out a method to crank down or turn off our disgust response, while preserving our motor systems"hauser correctly notes that disgust is involved in many awful things such as india's caste system, war, genocide. however, involved in and responsible for can be two very different things.
moreover, disgust can be a powerful positive force as well. for example, disgust may be partially responsible for the cast system, but modern efforts to eradicate it are also motivated partially based on the exact same emotion. disgust at hunger, homelessness, and other woes motivates many individuals to do good work. perhaps we would still be motivated to enact change without this emotion, as (semi)rational humans, but would our motivation be as powerful? probably not. we should be careful in vilifying certain feelings - and proposing the permanent elimination of them - because of the actions of a few.
Labels: misc. psych, social
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Wednesday, November 08, 2006
broadcast isn't the same, but what does that mean?
i just read marc peyser's new newsweek article, where he argues that "TV today [and by his argument, society] has lost almost all its taste for social commentary." however, i think the one caveat he allows - cable - may defeat his whole argument.
peyser claims that at TV's inception it was promoted nothing but mainstream values, but as it evolved and tested boundaries it became a powerful vehicle for social critique. he then claims (without conjecture as to why) that TV has since devolved back to its original entertaining-but-not-critical form, where he cites shows such as CSI and grey's anatomy, and even 24.
i'll argue that society hasn't lost its desire for irony and satire but that due to constraints alone its vehicle has shifted from broadcast to more individualistic avenues such as subscriber TV and the internet. old forms of satire such as M*A*S*H (which is awesome, by the way) and even married with children, if i dare call that social commentary, are just that- they're old. our desensitized polity wants social commentary that still speaks to the same kinds of issues but in a new and edgy way (think sex and the city or southpark). the only way to do that is to go above and beyond what's been done before, to shock.
however, as family guy's first-attempt cancellation indicates (or howard stern's difficulties, if we want to also talk about radio), that kind of thing is just not permitted in traditional broadcast. this doesn't mean we don't get it; thankfully, somehow (though it defies logic), the invention of paid entertainment and the internet create a different set of censorship rules. we can actually get the kind of social commentary we want, we just have to pay for it. (this excludes a certain sector of society from getting satire, which is similar to the problem of banning medicines as i've argued before, and is a subject for an entirely different post)
without any evidence, i'd even be willing to at least propose that we've, if anything, grown more desirous of it if the number of satirical shows on today were compared historically and controlling for number of stations, shows etc. (and if desire and # shows are equated as peyser does). if only i had a million research careers...
peyser claims that at TV's inception it was promoted nothing but mainstream values, but as it evolved and tested boundaries it became a powerful vehicle for social critique. he then claims (without conjecture as to why) that TV has since devolved back to its original entertaining-but-not-critical form, where he cites shows such as CSI and grey's anatomy, and even 24.
i'll argue that society hasn't lost its desire for irony and satire but that due to constraints alone its vehicle has shifted from broadcast to more individualistic avenues such as subscriber TV and the internet. old forms of satire such as M*A*S*H (which is awesome, by the way) and even married with children, if i dare call that social commentary, are just that- they're old. our desensitized polity wants social commentary that still speaks to the same kinds of issues but in a new and edgy way (think sex and the city or southpark). the only way to do that is to go above and beyond what's been done before, to shock.
however, as family guy's first-attempt cancellation indicates (or howard stern's difficulties, if we want to also talk about radio), that kind of thing is just not permitted in traditional broadcast. this doesn't mean we don't get it; thankfully, somehow (though it defies logic), the invention of paid entertainment and the internet create a different set of censorship rules. we can actually get the kind of social commentary we want, we just have to pay for it. (this excludes a certain sector of society from getting satire, which is similar to the problem of banning medicines as i've argued before, and is a subject for an entirely different post)
without any evidence, i'd even be willing to at least propose that we've, if anything, grown more desirous of it if the number of satirical shows on today were compared historically and controlling for number of stations, shows etc. (and if desire and # shows are equated as peyser does). if only i had a million research careers...
Labels: social
1 Comments:
Yeah, it's just ridiculous to talk about broadcast television as though it still represents a cross-section of society. Broadcast TV's market share has been steadily declining for decades, and most of the good shows are now on cable. In addition to Comedy Central and HBO, we've got whole channels devoted to punditry.
By 
Tim, at
Wed Nov 29, 07:43:00 AM
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Wednesday, October 11, 2006
neurotheology
i just got an email saying that next quarter's neuroethology course is cancelled. it's a bummer, but it reminds me to blog about something of a similar name, neurotheology.
the rockefeller chapel here has a cool art exhibit by neurologist audrius plioplys on neurotheology. those interested in this blog may want to check it out - it raises important questions of the soul, reductionism, etc.
the rockefeller chapel here has a cool art exhibit by neurologist audrius plioplys on neurotheology. those interested in this blog may want to check it out - it raises important questions of the soul, reductionism, etc.
Because his works represent the human brain's ability to think philosophically, he sees them as spiritual. "It's from these neurological networks that the human spirit comes from," said Plioplys.
Labels: neuroscience, social
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Monday, August 21, 2006
self-fulfilling prophesy, what?
i've been meaning to post a little something on this report, which states that: the happier you are with your body, the better you eat. the more unhappy, the worse you eat. if this really is a causal relationship, which way does it run? you could be happy with your body because you eat better and are not fat, or you could feel happy, which induces healthier eating habits. researchers propose the latter, though i think it may be a positive feedback loop.
Labels: social
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Wednesday, August 09, 2006
life keeps getting better: sleep
from the NY times:
via neuroethics & law.the length of a single night's sleep has decreased over the years (upward of 30 percent of adults average six or fewer hours), but the quality of our sleep has improved significantly.
Despite nostalgic notions about sleep in past centuries, threats to peaceful slumber lurked everywhere, from lice and noxious chamber pots to tempestuous weather.
Worst in this pre-penicillin age was sickness, especially such respiratory tract illnesses as influenza, pulmonary tuberculosis and asthma, all aggravated by bedding rife with mites. One 18th-century diarist recounts that asthma forced her husband to sleep in a chair for months, with "watchers" required to hold his head upright. Among the laboring poor, whose living conditions were horrendous, sleep deprivation was probably chronic, prompting many to nap at midday, much to the annoyance of their masters.
Labels: social
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Thursday, July 20, 2006
do women make (insignificantly) better social science researchers?
researchers at newcastle illustrated (PDF) that simply a picture of eyes can significantly increase likelihood that individuals will contribute to an honor-system box for drink payment. this is similar to a study last year (PDF) by researchers at UCLA in which eyespots significantly increased generosity in anonymous one-shot dictator games.
something else i found cool about the study, although it's technically insignificant: the newcastle study hinted at an inverse linear relationship between femininity and contribution (see chart, page 2). the most feminine eyes induced the fewest contributions and the most masculine the most, with eyes straight out of a ann rice novel in the middle (??). it's a straight linear line, with no outliers - too perfect to be coincidence! who really believes in statistical significance anyway?
so, although men may be better at administering medical care, women may be better than their male counterparts at leading behavioral experiments by influencing their actions less. this study only ran for a few months, with only two sets of female eyes. i'd like to see a larger study with higher variation in both femininity, age, and expression.
of course, insignificant gender correlations aside this has interesting implications for social science experiments involving prosocial behavior. regardless of whether the eyes activate something that harks back to group selection or simply to a reminder that another person may enter the room, researchers must be very careful to minimize felt observation.
something else i found cool about the study, although it's technically insignificant: the newcastle study hinted at an inverse linear relationship between femininity and contribution (see chart, page 2). the most feminine eyes induced the fewest contributions and the most masculine the most, with eyes straight out of a ann rice novel in the middle (??). it's a straight linear line, with no outliers - too perfect to be coincidence! who really believes in statistical significance anyway?
so, although men may be better at administering medical care, women may be better than their male counterparts at leading behavioral experiments by influencing their actions less. this study only ran for a few months, with only two sets of female eyes. i'd like to see a larger study with higher variation in both femininity, age, and expression.
of course, insignificant gender correlations aside this has interesting implications for social science experiments involving prosocial behavior. regardless of whether the eyes activate something that harks back to group selection or simply to a reminder that another person may enter the room, researchers must be very careful to minimize felt observation.
Labels: social
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Saturday, June 17, 2006
hayek and the pope: the harmony of the spheres
this week some i had the pleasure of attending acton university. i thought i'd share with you (i.e., try not to butcher) an interesting concept i learned from catholic social thought: subsidiarity.as i understand it, this concept contends that a number of spheres surround each individual. the closest sphere consists of your most intimate acquaintances, such as the immediate family. this is followed by spheres with less and less familiarity, from friends and extended family to the spheres of the church, community, and finally government.
subsidiarity suggests that when problems arise, it is best to consult the sphere closest to you and move outward if that sphere is unable or unwilling to help. this continues until you reach the outermost sphere which presumably consists of the highest level of government. in a society that took subsidiarity seriously, i wonder whether we would ever reach those outermost spheres.
pope leo XII, who developed the concept developed in the encyclical rerum novarum of 1891, seems to have beat hayek to the punch with the concept of local knowledge. or, perhaps, hayek received his early understanding of this concept from his catholic upbringing. we'll never know, i suppose!
- - -
we also had the pleasure of hearing the former prime minister of estonia, mart laar. you can listen to it here in MP3.
2 Comments:
Brian Doherty brought up subsidiarity in one of my favorite articles at Reason back in the fall of '04.
By , at
Sun Jun 18, 06:31:00 PM
what a great article! that's what i get for not being as loyal a reason reader as i should. a great quote:
"One of government's most pernicious effects is the way it colonizes our consciousness, in a manner deeper and more significant than advertising or markets ever manage. I would call upon my fellow citizens to loosen the mental bondage government has over them, to ignore it rather than engage in pointless and hopeless efforts to change it..."
By 
ns, at
Sun Jun 18, 07:59:00 PM
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Friday, June 02, 2006
hardship, education, and gullibility
folk theory says that adversity in early life toughens you up, makes you hardened and "streetwise." it turns out, however, to be just the opposite. early-life adversity may make people second-guess themselves instead, and therefore be more susceptible to persuasion.
this counterintuitive study reminds me of a recent survey that found that the more education one has, the more likely s/he is to believe in the possibility of paranormal activity. this is interesting, esp. given the inverse relationship between education and religiosity.
the relationship makes me wonder the cause of the alleged correlation between education level and ideology. it doesn't necessarily take smarter people to appreciate the nuances of theories on paranormal activity (although mulder was quitehot intelligent). this seems to partially refute the theory that the more erudite are liberal because they are more well-educated and intelligent.
but can we relate this study to the belief that an earthly "higher power," i.e. the government, almost paranormal in capability, can solve society's woes?
this counterintuitive study reminds me of a recent survey that found that the more education one has, the more likely s/he is to believe in the possibility of paranormal activity. this is interesting, esp. given the inverse relationship between education and religiosity.
the relationship makes me wonder the cause of the alleged correlation between education level and ideology. it doesn't necessarily take smarter people to appreciate the nuances of theories on paranormal activity (although mulder was quite
but can we relate this study to the belief that an earthly "higher power," i.e. the government, almost paranormal in capability, can solve society's woes?
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Sunday, May 28, 2006
hedgehog locale update
quiz:
what do jessie jackson and john ashcroft have in common?
...thomas sowell and paul wolfowitz?
...milton friedman and kurt vonnegut, jr.?
answer:
they all went to the university of chicago.
and soon i will, too. in chicago's masters program i will study lots of fun and exciting stuff, like brains (yes, brains are fun! and exciting!). i'm taking the summer "off" so officially no longer staff here (although i'd like to think of myself as director emeritus), and will instead be here for the next few months.
now that i'm finished freaking out about those decisions, i'll probably do some more blogging...
what do jessie jackson and john ashcroft have in common?
...thomas sowell and paul wolfowitz?
...milton friedman and kurt vonnegut, jr.?
answer:
they all went to the university of chicago.
and soon i will, too. in chicago's masters program i will study lots of fun and exciting stuff, like brains (yes, brains are fun! and exciting!). i'm taking the summer "off" so officially no longer staff here (although i'd like to think of myself as director emeritus), and will instead be here for the next few months.now that i'm finished freaking out about those decisions, i'll probably do some more blogging...
4 Comments:
Congratulations. I am certainly hoping that you turn out most like Jessie Jackson. A penchant for rhyming prose might improve the digestability of neuroeconomic reseach.
"We've got to probe
The frontal lobe
To give your subliminal choice
An academic voice.
Can I get an Amen?"
JC
By , at
Mon May 29, 09:11:00 AM
HA. thanks, you :) i'll add that verse to my first academic paper.
but to succeed i "must know it is not my aptitude but my attitude that will determine my altitude."
By ns, at
Mon May 29, 11:42:00 AM
thanks! i will be at GMU util the end of August though, so you had better hang out with me. :)
By ns, at
Mon Jun 12, 09:26:00 AM
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Wednesday, May 03, 2006
IQ and age
i, and many others, have noted that some executive functions necessary for intelligence, such as working memory, decline with age. this has been affirmed by a decrease in IQ across time. however, we have committed an error: not wondering whether this is due to extracerebral physical decline causing an inability to perceive and perform the tests, instead of cognitive decline. a new study indicates that perception deficits may be the main factor leading to the IQ dive in aging america.
certainly, this is a very important distinction. however, i wonder then how we define IQ. physical central nervous system decline such as neuronal atrophy causes deficits in perceived cognitive output. this study shows that the body's physical decline creates similar deficits in perceived output. effectively, intelligence has dropped, regardless of what is going on in the brain, regardless of what executive functions are still sharp. the individual has lost the ability to interact as one with her previous IQ does, and that is important.
"The poorer performance by older adults may be characterized by a loss of efficiency in visual search," stated the researcher. "...This finding offers direct support for the hypothesis that sensory deficits influence coding task performances."
certainly, this is a very important distinction. however, i wonder then how we define IQ. physical central nervous system decline such as neuronal atrophy causes deficits in perceived cognitive output. this study shows that the body's physical decline creates similar deficits in perceived output. effectively, intelligence has dropped, regardless of what is going on in the brain, regardless of what executive functions are still sharp. the individual has lost the ability to interact as one with her previous IQ does, and that is important.
Labels: social
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Thursday, February 23, 2006
"trustiness" of the historic trust
according to a recent mailing, the national trust for historic preservation has decided i should donate to them. the organization is "dedicated to saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities." this seemed like an exciting idea, and the name "trust" may make one think it's mission is similar to the nature conservancy's (original) mission to purchase critical habitat. unfortunately, the national trust works through "state legislatures and city halls ... to encourage the adoption of laws and policies that support preservation." its modus operandi include lobbying for "smart growth" policies in neighborhoods (restricting property rights) and lobbying against chain drugstores, which damage "a community's historic places and its unique sense of place."
it's too bad that an organization dedicated to preserving private property tries to restrict private construction. however, they're not completely anti-liberty. although they do have a veritable toolkit for restricting property rights, much of their odd drugstore crusade seems targeted at the corporate level, allowing for consensual, mutually beneficial, preservation. although, for my dime i'd rather cheap medicine and an ugly building to the reverse.
more from FH on private conservation: prairie chickens (no joke), and an archeological site
it's too bad that an organization dedicated to preserving private property tries to restrict private construction. however, they're not completely anti-liberty. although they do have a veritable toolkit for restricting property rights, much of their odd drugstore crusade seems targeted at the corporate level, allowing for consensual, mutually beneficial, preservation. although, for my dime i'd rather cheap medicine and an ugly building to the reverse.
more from FH on private conservation: prairie chickens (no joke), and an archeological site
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Saturday, February 11, 2006
and it was supposed to be fun
Most affairs consist of a little bad sex and hours on the telephone.ouch. from psychology today's archives
Labels: social
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Wednesday, January 25, 2006
sustainable microfinance
kiva, which means "agreement" or "unity" in swahili, is a unique microfinance nonprofit that connects individuals with small businesses in the developing world:
so why would a nonprofit choose microfinance instead of donations? insisting that poor entrepreneurs repay their loans seems much colder than handing out grants. yet it seems to me that requiring repayment engenders a feeling of obligation and indebtedness, possibly making entrepreneurs work harder to succeed. kiva's answer is focused on our behavior rather than that of the entrepreneur - we are more likely to give money when we get it back, increasing the number of loans and people they can help:
By choosing a business on our website and then lending money online to that enterprise, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive monthly email updates that let you know about the progress being made by the small business you've sponsored. These updates include reports on loan repayment progress, photos of new capital equipment, narratives on business growth and standard of living improvements, and more. As loans are repaid, you will get your original loan money back.anyone with a credit card and paypal account can loan much-needed funds in $25 increments. interest goes to operating expenses only (partly due to massive SEC regulations on interest-bearing loans), so investors receive only their capital investment when the loan is repaid.
so why would a nonprofit choose microfinance instead of donations? insisting that poor entrepreneurs repay their loans seems much colder than handing out grants. yet it seems to me that requiring repayment engenders a feeling of obligation and indebtedness, possibly making entrepreneurs work harder to succeed. kiva's answer is focused on our behavior rather than that of the entrepreneur - we are more likely to give money when we get it back, increasing the number of loans and people they can help:
visit kiva's website for more information. the founders also have a blog.There is a limit to the amount of money people can give; loans, on the other hand, can be repaid and re-loaned indefinitely. We believe in the power of creating a more sustainable option for people to contribute.
Labels: social
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Sunday, January 22, 2006
restoring a lost language
who knew good could come out of a colin farrell movie? hollywood director terence malick's greed for glory and money has partially restored virginia algonquian, pocahontas' language, for the new world. the scholar he funded to restore the language for the movie, blair rudes, told MSNBC:
"It might have been done anyway, but it would have taken much, much longer," Rudes said. "This type of work is very time-consuming and expensive. ... There are so many other projects, I probably wouldn't have turned to this one."details on the restored language from the film, including CDs and scripts, will go to the descendants of the langage. a dictionary is also in-progress. many nations are attempting to reclaim some of the cultural heritage taken from them during assimilation, and language is an important key to this process. so even if the movie sucks, you'll be buying a bit of cultural preservation with your ticket.
Labels: social
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Sunday, December 04, 2005
all's fair in love, war, and sports (and markets?)
a recent 17-year study claims that morality declines with prolonged involvement in sports, and that women have an equal share in this effect. what's more, team sports are much worse for moral development than individual ones.
"moral development" was gauged by measuring values such as honesty, justice, fairness, and responsibility, but only during athletic events. this seems to leave room for the possibility that sports do not lead to immoral people, but rather that athletes may not see athletics bound by the same moral rules (previous studies indicate this with other games). indeed, they may even see bending rules as part of the game.
we could tenuously link this to real-life by hypothesizing that athletic competition is similar to market competition (although profits and wins are very different). yet we must first ask if we really care about the values above in market interactions - a true market believer might say that these behaviors would be weeded out eventually if they harmed the consumer, for who would buy from a known dishonest company/person? therefore competition provides both the problem and the cure (although certainly harming lots of folks along the way - think enron). in team sports, at least, we can't see this; athletes are generally forced to play each other. in trade, not so much.
this, of course, all assumes self-report data on deontological surveys is valid in the first place. and that monopolies don't exist.
"moral development" was gauged by measuring values such as honesty, justice, fairness, and responsibility, but only during athletic events. this seems to leave room for the possibility that sports do not lead to immoral people, but rather that athletes may not see athletics bound by the same moral rules (previous studies indicate this with other games). indeed, they may even see bending rules as part of the game.
we could tenuously link this to real-life by hypothesizing that athletic competition is similar to market competition (although profits and wins are very different). yet we must first ask if we really care about the values above in market interactions - a true market believer might say that these behaviors would be weeded out eventually if they harmed the consumer, for who would buy from a known dishonest company/person? therefore competition provides both the problem and the cure (although certainly harming lots of folks along the way - think enron). in team sports, at least, we can't see this; athletes are generally forced to play each other. in trade, not so much.
this, of course, all assumes self-report data on deontological surveys is valid in the first place. and that monopolies don't exist.
Labels: social
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Tuesday, October 04, 2005
last chance...
the leukemia and lymphoma society's light the night walk is tomorrow night.
a big THANK YOU to those who have donated.
to those who are saving their $ for katrina victims, please keep in mind that many leukemia patients lived in that region. the society is doing their best to restore normal lives for these doubly-afflicted people. your donation can help!
a statement from the society on their hurricane efforts:
a big THANK YOU to those who have donated.
to those who are saving their $ for katrina victims, please keep in mind that many leukemia patients lived in that region. the society is doing their best to restore normal lives for these doubly-afflicted people. your donation can help!
a statement from the society on their hurricane efforts:
"In order to help meet the critical need to restore health care to the communities ravaged by the hurricane, the Society will commit $1 million to help get blood cancer treatment centers and patient support services in the devastated areas up and running again. The organization will carry out this commitment through two of its major fundraising campaigns: a half million dollars from the 2005 Light The Night Walk and a half million dollars from this year's School & Youth Programs.
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comments down
forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but comments are down. disappeared, in fact. not quite sure why, but i'll try to figure it out.
and no, it's not a clever way to get greg to stop harassing me to post.
and no, it's not a clever way to get greg to stop harassing me to post.
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Saturday, September 24, 2005
take heart, optimists. we're alright after all.
during and after disasters such as september the 11th and hurricane katrina, national attention turns towards how the nation can help survivors. those in the mental health community, naturally, focus on how they can help as well. in the wake of last year's tsunami, media outlets also noted the need for more than simply monetary aide - victims needed counseling, as well. surprisingly, some victims resisted or ignored this kind of aid, pleading instead for more food and help rebuilding their cities. an article in june's psychological science confirms that this may actually be a better allocation of crisis resources.
we image that people confronted with disasters must have a disturbed pattern of functioning. it makes sense; people should have a difficult time moving on after extraordinarily traumatic events. however, george bonanno at columbia university claims:
this study is much needed as it highlights human's amazing coping mechanisms and the power of social networks. it shows our ability to eek out a happy - or at least satisfied - life following very unfortunate events. and that's not so bad.
for more on the good stuff in psychology, see positive psychology.
source: bonanno, george. resilience in the face of potential trauma. psychological science, june 2005
update: fixing typos, that's all.
we image that people confronted with disasters must have a disturbed pattern of functioning. it makes sense; people should have a difficult time moving on after extraordinarily traumatic events. however, george bonanno at columbia university claims:
...the most common reaction among adults exposed to such events is a relatively stable pattern of healthy functioning coupled with the enduring capacity for positive emotion and generative experiences.given our pop psychological understanding of reaction to tragedy, this surprised me. why does it seem as if people should be less resilient than they are? two posibilities come to mind. first, traumatized victims are a better media story, increasing our perception of their actual incidence in a normal population. a cynic would also say it's in the mental health field's best interest to portray their services as necessary for everyone, but i'm not sure that's always the case, as most of them do seem honestly convinced of being essential.
this study is much needed as it highlights human's amazing coping mechanisms and the power of social networks. it shows our ability to eek out a happy - or at least satisfied - life following very unfortunate events. and that's not so bad.
for more on the good stuff in psychology, see positive psychology.
source: bonanno, george. resilience in the face of potential trauma. psychological science, june 2005
update: fixing typos, that's all.
Labels: social, well being
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Wednesday, September 21, 2005
natural selection at work
for those who don't believe in evolution, here's some good evidence of its mechanism:
this reminds me of people who rushed to mount saint helens last year when everyone thought it may blow its top. the motivations for rushing to the scene of a potential natural disaster are a bit different than what is going on here, though. here people are staying in their homes, and the disaster is coming to them. risk judgments are involved in both cases, but in the latter other factors such as previous hurricane experience and overestimation of home construction play a role. in some situations, one could see overconfidence and flawed self-assessment as adaptive traits, helping individuals perform better. however, flawed assessment of one's ability to weather a storm is fatally dangerous, as we've seen with katrina or any number of other decisions (e.g., overestimating your body and making the decision to continue smoking).
it's also interesting to note that when forced to make decisions based solely on experience and memory people typically make much riskier decisions than when presented with written materials. this is not particularly surprising. and hurricane folks certainly aren't basing their decisions off of hurricane evacuation manuals. life insurance companies would do well to mail those to their costal clientele.
aside: rita is a truly terrible name. homes in houston deserve better.
update: just fixing the picture
Joe McGee stands in the pounding surf at the Southern Most Point in Key West, Fla. Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005, as Hurricane Rita neared the lower Florida Keys. (AP)
this reminds me of people who rushed to mount saint helens last year when everyone thought it may blow its top. the motivations for rushing to the scene of a potential natural disaster are a bit different than what is going on here, though. here people are staying in their homes, and the disaster is coming to them. risk judgments are involved in both cases, but in the latter other factors such as previous hurricane experience and overestimation of home construction play a role. in some situations, one could see overconfidence and flawed self-assessment as adaptive traits, helping individuals perform better. however, flawed assessment of one's ability to weather a storm is fatally dangerous, as we've seen with katrina or any number of other decisions (e.g., overestimating your body and making the decision to continue smoking).
it's also interesting to note that when forced to make decisions based solely on experience and memory people typically make much riskier decisions than when presented with written materials. this is not particularly surprising. and hurricane folks certainly aren't basing their decisions off of hurricane evacuation manuals. life insurance companies would do well to mail those to their costal clientele.
aside: rita is a truly terrible name. homes in houston deserve better.
update: just fixing the picture
Labels: decision making, social
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Wednesday, September 07, 2005
giving to charity
according to network for good, 89% of US households give to charity, and those households give, on average,$1,620, or 3.1% of their incomes. this is much more than i expected. even with so much money going to taxes and other major expenses, nearly all americans donate a substantial portion of their incomes.
i chose americares for katrina. any donation is good, i suppose, but it confounds me that with so much human suffering people donate instead to animal rescue efforts. in my opinion, i'd rather save all the people and worry about the animals later. i'd rather them be alive and missing fluffy than the reverse.
also check out missionfish's ebay auctions for various katrina-related charities.
i chose americares for katrina. any donation is good, i suppose, but it confounds me that with so much human suffering people donate instead to animal rescue efforts. in my opinion, i'd rather save all the people and worry about the animals later. i'd rather them be alive and missing fluffy than the reverse.
also check out missionfish's ebay auctions for various katrina-related charities.
Labels: social
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Monday, September 05, 2005
holy cow, are gas prices high
this weekend, i paid nearly seventy dollars to fill up my gas tank. when whining about gas prices, most folks cite the manifestly false complaint that everyone is forced to use gas, so it’s unfair that it’s expensive.
it seems to me that there are countless alternatives to gas, and even more options for gas consumption reduction. get an ethanol, diesel, electric or hybrid car. take the bus. take the subway. walk. ride a bike. buy a horse. carpool. move closer to work. don’t drive a hummer. don’t drive unless you have to. make your car more fuel efficient.
of course, some of the above are predicated on the assumption that one can switch situations immediately, but in reality some people may be unable or unwilling to compensate at all right away. however, it seems this will only slow, but not altogether prevent, the market adjustments that will occur. in the meantime, we’ll just have to wait it out and stop whining – or even concentrate on the positive benefits of the gas spike to the environment and technology making us less dependent on oil.
it seems to me that there are countless alternatives to gas, and even more options for gas consumption reduction. get an ethanol, diesel, electric or hybrid car. take the bus. take the subway. walk. ride a bike. buy a horse. carpool. move closer to work. don’t drive a hummer. don’t drive unless you have to. make your car more fuel efficient.
of course, some of the above are predicated on the assumption that one can switch situations immediately, but in reality some people may be unable or unwilling to compensate at all right away. however, it seems this will only slow, but not altogether prevent, the market adjustments that will occur. in the meantime, we’ll just have to wait it out and stop whining – or even concentrate on the positive benefits of the gas spike to the environment and technology making us less dependent on oil.
Labels: social
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Sunday, August 28, 2005
words of the day
okay, i've foundered in the abyss of geometry and reading comprehension. regular readings may be surprised (or not) that my quantitative & vocab skills are not quite up to GRE-par. i've missed being an oblocutor. however, this is my last week of nugatory studying, which means i'll be procrastinating (read: blogging some).
in my quest for a more magniloquent vocabulary, i came across the new american sub-standard politically incorrect dictionary. check it out, although it doesn't really live up to the high expectations its name creates.
in my quest for a more magniloquent vocabulary, i came across the new american sub-standard politically incorrect dictionary. check it out, although it doesn't really live up to the high expectations its name creates.
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Thursday, July 21, 2005
nonprofit innovation
amazon.com has announced finalists for its nonprofit innovation award. just a few of the contenders:
the abundance and variety of nonprofits continues to amaze me. see related posts on missionfish and the nature conservancy.
- community voice mail - "provides free, 24-hour nationwide voice mail to people in crisis--connecting them to jobs, housing, and hope--a deceptively simple concept with extraordinary impact"
- donors choose - "a marketplace where teachers and individuals connect to give at-risk students the resources they need to learn"
- kickstart - "helps channel the entrepreneurial spirit of Africa to help people help themselves. The organization creates and markets simple tools that people use to generate income"
the abundance and variety of nonprofits continues to amaze me. see related posts on missionfish and the nature conservancy.
Labels: social
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Sunday, July 17, 2005
APA amazes again
hold the presses!
i will try not to be too sarcastic about this press release by the american psychological association:
i will try not to be too sarcastic about this press release by the american psychological association:
"This study shows that parent training is the most effective tool in dealing with conduct disorder," he said. "We compared a great number of variables and there was not a single condition where a treatment without parent training was more effective."perhaps they don't have kids in that ivory tower?
Labels: misc. psych, social
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Friday, July 15, 2005
taking history seriously
these chinese entrepreneurs are taking history seriously:
forcing establishments to discriminate, as with mandatory affirmative action, jim crow laws, or even - dare i say it - a smoking ban, has detestable outcomes that definitely exclude people from the market. however, one restaurant selecting its own policies for admittance seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Staff at the Western-style restaurant were told to ask Japanese customers who walked through the door to give their views of Japan's 1931-1945 occupation of parts of China....
staff are told to deny entrance to japanese patrons who did not recognize and apologize for the occupation, which a war crimes tribunal found killed 155,000 chinese.
you can call this unfair discrimination, but the restaurateurs see it otherwise:"We totally welcome those Japanese customers who can correctly view history," the manager, surnamed Tian, was quoted as saying."But as for those customers who still refuse to admit to history, we want to say we don't like them."what better way to do that than to deny entrance to their establishment?
forcing establishments to discriminate, as with mandatory affirmative action, jim crow laws, or even - dare i say it - a smoking ban, has detestable outcomes that definitely exclude people from the market. however, one restaurant selecting its own policies for admittance seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Labels: social
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Thursday, July 07, 2005
blind date?
no, it's not just an awesome reality tv show. dans le noir's clientele in paris, london, berlin, and zurich are kept completely in the dark during their meal, according to the AP. clever way to skirt "waiter, is that a fly in my soup?" incidents, or a public statement?
the owner says he began the restaurant chain because of an interest in corporate social responsibility, but although blind servers assist customers, it's no charity:
the owner says he began the restaurant chain because of an interest in corporate social responsibility, but although blind servers assist customers, it's no charity:
...de Broglie's policy is based on profit. Other members of staff can see.i know where i'll be dining on my next trip to europe!
"I don't hire people because they're blind but because they're better in their job than people who are not blind. I wouldn't put them in the kitchen, because it's a dangerous place for them," he said.
Labels: social
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005
join the organic rebellion
help cuce-skywalker and obi-wan cannoli battle darktater and the dark side of the farm in grocery store wars, a short by the organic trade association hawking organic produce. it's really pretty funny.one question though: how does non-organic produce have "artifically lower prices?"
thanks go to j-hawk for the tip.
update: cannoli is spelled with two n's, nikki.
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Friday, June 03, 2005
we still bowl, just not in leagues
whatever kind of political implications it has, most would agree that social capital is a good thing. but what kinds of social interactions facilitate the development of social capital? membership in formal organizations is decreasing. is all hope lost?
a study from the journal political psychology says maybe not. this study examined informal social interactions and their impact on social capital.
importantly, the study hints at why many people prefer informal interactions, which the study found were "thought to be immediately rewarding and to provide long-term satisfaction to a greater extent than organizational participation." organizations cost money and often have barriers to entry, whereas informal interactions are more accommodating and often free. there are lots of potential reasons for the decline of membership in formal organizations (not least of which is the modern welfare state that decreases the need for nongovernmental support networks, but that's another story), but this one is interesting in that it points to our increasing desire to "have it your way."
that desire may not reap such ill consequences as previously thought. the study notes that while formal organizations are still tops for building civic competence, informal participation is actually better at building "feelings of connectedness and social support." informal interactions also exceed in providing companionship and creating networks of mutual obligation.
i'm certainly no expert on the subject, but that seems like a good thing to me.
source: green, mc et al. organizational membership versus informal interaction: contributions to skills and perceptions that build social capital. political psychology. february 2005 (yes, i am that far behind on my reading. back off!)
a study from the journal political psychology says maybe not. this study examined informal social interactions and their impact on social capital.
importantly, the study hints at why many people prefer informal interactions, which the study found were "thought to be immediately rewarding and to provide long-term satisfaction to a greater extent than organizational participation." organizations cost money and often have barriers to entry, whereas informal interactions are more accommodating and often free. there are lots of potential reasons for the decline of membership in formal organizations (not least of which is the modern welfare state that decreases the need for nongovernmental support networks, but that's another story), but this one is interesting in that it points to our increasing desire to "have it your way."
that desire may not reap such ill consequences as previously thought. the study notes that while formal organizations are still tops for building civic competence, informal participation is actually better at building "feelings of connectedness and social support." informal interactions also exceed in providing companionship and creating networks of mutual obligation.
i'm certainly no expert on the subject, but that seems like a good thing to me.
source: green, mc et al. organizational membership versus informal interaction: contributions to skills and perceptions that build social capital. political psychology. february 2005 (yes, i am that far behind on my reading. back off!)
Labels: social
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Monday, May 30, 2005
to the tanning beds!
cleveland amory may have been wrong when he said, "i can't take a well-tanned person seriously." bronzed may actually mean brainy – or, more exactly, the pallid may be at a slight disadvantage.
ohio state just released research indicating that our brains may shrink in the absence of sunlight. the report speculates that the loss occurs not in the areas receiving and processing visual information, but in those involved in learning and memory (in the hippocampus).
this may partially explain why many people get blue in the winter. interestingly enough, melatonin, produced in the hippocampus, has been previously linked to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the ailment causing depression during winter months.
ohio state just released research indicating that our brains may shrink in the absence of sunlight. the report speculates that the loss occurs not in the areas receiving and processing visual information, but in those involved in learning and memory (in the hippocampus).
this may partially explain why many people get blue in the winter. interestingly enough, melatonin, produced in the hippocampus, has been previously linked to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the ailment causing depression during winter months.
Labels: social
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Tuesday, May 24, 2005
elephantine entrepreneurship
i'm forever impressed by people's ingenuity and creativity, even in the wake of disaster. a cool "in the news" tidbit:
an entrepreneur in seoul is profiting from his recent tragedy. in mid-april, elephants destroyed his restaurant, but now he says that business is better than ever. the owner used his insurance money to remodel and put up a new name: "restaurant where elephants have been." he has renamed menu items to coordinate with the restaurant's new pachyderm persona.
it's proven quite profitable - sales have doubled:
an entrepreneur in seoul is profiting from his recent tragedy. in mid-april, elephants destroyed his restaurant, but now he says that business is better than ever. the owner used his insurance money to remodel and put up a new name: "restaurant where elephants have been." he has renamed menu items to coordinate with the restaurant's new pachyderm persona.
it's proven quite profitable - sales have doubled:
"What can I say about the elephants? Thank you for causing the trouble? Well, that just might be right," Keum said.read more.
Labels: social
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Thursday, May 19, 2005
red is for winners... sometimes
the ny times reports that a rouge shade is strongly correlated to successful sports teams. my initial reaction was that it must be different for political philosophies. even if not:
This does not mean that a bad team can reverse its fortunes by wearing red, Dr. Barton said. The study applies only to closely matched competitors. "If you're hopeless," he said, "then wearing red isn't going to make you start winning."someone had to say it!
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Friday, May 06, 2005
free enterprise, free conscience
there's a great new bill going through the tennissee legislature. it's called the "pharmacists freedom of conscience act" and would allow pharmacists do refuse to fill prescriptions for drugs that they morally oppose. birth control is the key issue in this debate.
forcing a businessperson to engage in something s/he feels morally wrong does not seem justifiable, so as long as pharmacy owners are allowed to fire pharmacists for refusing to fill prescriptions, this makes a lot of sense to me.
i'm not concerned with any negative effects of this law. most, if not all, towns have more than one pharmacy, and i am fairly sure at least one will be entrepreneurial enough to exploit the need for birth control pills. the withholding pharmacy will loose profits from those pills while, perhaps, gaining some of the other pharmacy’s clients who would prefer to go to a "moral" pharmacist. i bet it may even out in the end and allow people to act in accordance with their own beliefs.
and if there is only one pharmacist and he's a zealot catholic looney? there is no reason why one can't order birth control pills online or via mail. it's often cheaper anyway.
for more information, visit the protection of conscience project's website, a religious group pushing all kinds of laws against "force[ing] health care workers and others to participate, directly or indirectly, in morally controversial procedures".
via the fayette county review
forcing a businessperson to engage in something s/he feels morally wrong does not seem justifiable, so as long as pharmacy owners are allowed to fire pharmacists for refusing to fill prescriptions, this makes a lot of sense to me.
i'm not concerned with any negative effects of this law. most, if not all, towns have more than one pharmacy, and i am fairly sure at least one will be entrepreneurial enough to exploit the need for birth control pills. the withholding pharmacy will loose profits from those pills while, perhaps, gaining some of the other pharmacy’s clients who would prefer to go to a "moral" pharmacist. i bet it may even out in the end and allow people to act in accordance with their own beliefs.
and if there is only one pharmacist and he's a zealot catholic looney? there is no reason why one can't order birth control pills online or via mail. it's often cheaper anyway.
for more information, visit the protection of conscience project's website, a religious group pushing all kinds of laws against "force[ing] health care workers and others to participate, directly or indirectly, in morally controversial procedures".
via the fayette county review
Labels: social
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Wednesday, May 04, 2005
ugly people are people too
if the concept of revealed preference is to be believed*, parents do have favorites - they love their pretty babies more. a new study, where researchers observed parent-child interactions at canadian grocery stores, shockingly found that parents take better care of their more attractive children.
from the new york times:
*or bastardized...
from the new york times:
"Like lots of animals, we tend to parcel out our resources on the basis of value," he said. "Maybe we can't always articulate that, but in fact we do it. There are a lot of things that make a person more valuable, and physical attractiveness may be one of them."correlations have also been made between attractiveness and intelligence. perhaps parental involvement (or lack thereof) is one factor in this?
*or bastardized...
Labels: social
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private scholarships count
the institute for higher education policy published the first-ever national study on nongovernmental college scholarships today. the study is surprisingly complementary of private scholarships:
This study also provides ample evidence of the deep commitment that exists in the private sector to help students go to college. The private sector’s support for scholarship aid must be better recognized and understood as a key element in the national goal of improving access to higher education, especially as private aid is combined with critical government and institutional financial aid programs.
private groups awarded $3 billion in scholarships last year (7% of total grants). these groups included local community initiatives, big corporations, small companies, philanthropic foundations, service & fraternal organizations, educational trusts, and more.
the report found that private funding sources "help students who slip through the cracks of other programs and facilitate choice and affordability for a wide range of students" and make "college more affordable for both low- and middle-income students."
check out the whole report.
thanks for the heads up, dan.
Labels: social
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Thursday, April 07, 2005
obesity and incentives
retail sales staff snub corpulent clientele, according to a new study reported by the new york times.
although you'd have to control for store quality (upscale stores likely hire a different variety of clerk), there would likely be significant behavioral differences between stores paying on an hourly rate and those paying on commission. giving staff a stake in their sales may curb their prejudiced behavior because ignoring obese customers on the assumption that they will not buy will result in fewer sales. clerks who ignored the stereotype would likely earn more (and possibly even stay in the job longer because of their higher earnings). clerks on hourly wage, however, have no reason to treat customers differently from their default behavior, as they have no direct stake in daily sales.
prejudiced behavior may still bleed through with commissions, but to a lesser degree.
and, if americans really are becoming more obese (which i am not convinced of), we'll probably see this stereotype effect fade away as people are confronted with the invalidity of this stereotype more often - one upside to the "epidemic," i suppose.
reference: the paper is not published. it's a graduate student paper by eden king, “remediation strategies and consequences of interpersonal discrimination toward obese customers.” eden tells me they did not compare commission vs. hourly pay schedules in this study.
although you'd have to control for store quality (upscale stores likely hire a different variety of clerk), there would likely be significant behavioral differences between stores paying on an hourly rate and those paying on commission. giving staff a stake in their sales may curb their prejudiced behavior because ignoring obese customers on the assumption that they will not buy will result in fewer sales. clerks who ignored the stereotype would likely earn more (and possibly even stay in the job longer because of their higher earnings). clerks on hourly wage, however, have no reason to treat customers differently from their default behavior, as they have no direct stake in daily sales.
prejudiced behavior may still bleed through with commissions, but to a lesser degree.
and, if americans really are becoming more obese (which i am not convinced of), we'll probably see this stereotype effect fade away as people are confronted with the invalidity of this stereotype more often - one upside to the "epidemic," i suppose.
reference: the paper is not published. it's a graduate student paper by eden king, “remediation strategies and consequences of interpersonal discrimination toward obese customers.” eden tells me they did not compare commission vs. hourly pay schedules in this study.
Labels: social
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Tuesday, March 29, 2005
relative reproductive rights
first cousins forbidden from matrimony in pennsylvania got their chance at marital bliss in maryland today. the groom admitted even his hesitation when he said that you just can't control who you fall in love with.
our society and lawmakers insist (no pun intended) on enforcing this restriction in a thinly veiled attempt to enforce what most of us recognize clearly as a cultural taboo. we do this even in spite of the knowledge that there is at most an extremely low risk of any kind of genetic defect for this particular kind of union. even a low risk is not good legal justification, as i'm aware of no laws banning marriage or reproduction amongst individuals with serious genetic risks. of course, few seriously try to justify this law based on science. i mean, it's gross. right?
our society and lawmakers insist (no pun intended) on enforcing this restriction in a thinly veiled attempt to enforce what most of us recognize clearly as a cultural taboo. we do this even in spite of the knowledge that there is at most an extremely low risk of any kind of genetic defect for this particular kind of union. even a low risk is not good legal justification, as i'm aware of no laws banning marriage or reproduction amongst individuals with serious genetic risks. of course, few seriously try to justify this law based on science. i mean, it's gross. right?
Labels: social
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a win-win: charity marathons
charity marathon programs not only raise large sums and awareness for their causes, but apparently also have the unintended consequence of popularizing running. this not only raises money, but also presumably makes the population a bit healthier and therefore less susceptible to illnesses such as cancer.
of course, there are some sour grapes - serious marathon runners who call charity runners a "nuisance." i'm willing to bet these folks will likely amend their opinions if ever afflicted with leukemia, breast cancer, or AIDS.
read more.
aaaaand, now for the plug: if you're feeling left out, donate to my walk for the leukemia & lymphoma society.
of course, there are some sour grapes - serious marathon runners who call charity runners a "nuisance." i'm willing to bet these folks will likely amend their opinions if ever afflicted with leukemia, breast cancer, or AIDS.
read more.
aaaaand, now for the plug: if you're feeling left out, donate to my walk for the leukemia & lymphoma society.
Labels: social
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Monday, March 28, 2005
saving schiavo
john wrote that only a miracle (of the Christian variety) could save terri now, and thankfully he was right.
it seems that legally the schiavo case was blessedly clear-cut in favor of mr. schiavo. that the executive and legislative interventions were ineffectual in spite of the media frenzy and public outcry and that judges were able to hold their ground despite these pressures both say something truly great about the law here in the US. in far too many other countries, authorities might well have taken control regardless of law or precedent. one only needs to scan international news – particularly in africa and transition nations – to see flagrant abuse of power.
in contrast, florida’s governor, although guilty of the iniquitous crime of being a bush, stated he simply could and would not overstep his powers. it’s not because he didn’t want to.
people will be people, and power paired with empathy tends to make some feel they should step beyond the law. this time, however, it did not work. in the face of such a powerful story, we can uphold our court decisions – even in spite of intrusions from both other branches of government.
whether or not the outcome is morally right is a different matter.
religious activists have politicized the schiavo case as a war against immoral secular law and fail to mention any conflict inside Christianity. to me, the Christian perspective is even less clear than the legal case. it is not clear to me which of our unhappy alternatives - allowing her to die or artificially prolonging her life in that state - would really be “saving” her. the answer may very well be neither – perhaps we could not save her at all, no matter the ruling. although it’s a hard answer to swallow, it may just be the right one.
it seems that legally the schiavo case was blessedly clear-cut in favor of mr. schiavo. that the executive and legislative interventions were ineffectual in spite of the media frenzy and public outcry and that judges were able to hold their ground despite these pressures both say something truly great about the law here in the US. in far too many other countries, authorities might well have taken control regardless of law or precedent. one only needs to scan international news – particularly in africa and transition nations – to see flagrant abuse of power.
in contrast, florida’s governor, although guilty of the iniquitous crime of being a bush, stated he simply could and would not overstep his powers. it’s not because he didn’t want to.
people will be people, and power paired with empathy tends to make some feel they should step beyond the law. this time, however, it did not work. in the face of such a powerful story, we can uphold our court decisions – even in spite of intrusions from both other branches of government.
whether or not the outcome is morally right is a different matter.
religious activists have politicized the schiavo case as a war against immoral secular law and fail to mention any conflict inside Christianity. to me, the Christian perspective is even less clear than the legal case. it is not clear to me which of our unhappy alternatives - allowing her to die or artificially prolonging her life in that state - would really be “saving” her. the answer may very well be neither – perhaps we could not save her at all, no matter the ruling. although it’s a hard answer to swallow, it may just be the right one.
Labels: social
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Friday, March 11, 2005
fair access to shaky science
there's a new pill - progenitorivox - and it's designed to cure anything and everything. that is, if you can take the side effects which include male lactation, deportation, bankruptcy, and hallucinations of a warbling canadian moose. check out the ad.
but progenitorivox isn't real of course; it's the design of the “consumers union.” the consumers union's objective is not to mock consumers and their serious health problems, such as erectile dysfunction and clinical depression, but rather to push legislation forcing pharmaceutical companies to make the results of their clinical trials public. their effort has been dubbed
the new york times thinks it’s a great idea though, but does give drug companies a few lines of defense:
but progenitorivox isn't real of course; it's the design of the “consumers union.” the consumers union's objective is not to mock consumers and their serious health problems, such as erectile dysfunction and clinical depression, but rather to push legislation forcing pharmaceutical companies to make the results of their clinical trials public. their effort has been dubbed
the FACT [The Fair Access to Clinical Trials] Act, requiring drug companies to make public all the results of their clinical trials so we’ll know about potentially harmful side effects. And it must create an independent office of drug safety in the Food and Drug Administration to ensure quick action is taken when safety concerns are raised.on the face of it, the act sounds innocuous - why shouldn't we outlaw certain drugs, which the act would eventually lead to, based on the results of a clinical trial? even putting aside the privacy concerns this raises, the act seems like a bad idea. i am leery of unpublished studies and studies not published in peer-reviewed journals, as is the case with most clinical trials. in general, i believe researchers share in this opinion. so, if it's not good enough for science, why is it good enough for law? criminalizing a sick patient's treatment preference based on a study done by a private company that has neither been replicated nor reviewed seems unjustifiable.
the new york times thinks it’s a great idea though, but does give drug companies a few lines of defense:
"It's a catchy jingle all right and good for a laugh," said Jeff Trewhitt, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, "but we really ought to be having serious conversations about how best to help doctors and their patients choose the right medicines."
via gawker, of all places.
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Wednesday, February 16, 2005
the lesser prairie chicken and private conservation
the lesser prairie chicken, an odd bird with an even stranger courtship routine, once roamed the western plains in flocks as large as 1,000 (a frightening prospect). hunting, overgrazing, and plowing destroyed their habitat, and in the last 100 years the lesser prairie chicken population has plummeted to just 3 percent of its former glory.the nature conservancy, a nonprofit based in arlington, virgnia, recently purchased nearly 20,000 acres of prime prairie chicken habitat in new mexico. although the ranch’s former owners will retain a limited livestock operation, the land will largely serve as a preserve for this and other imperiled prairie creatures. the acquisition is seen as a coup for prairie chicken preservation efforts, and benefits the ranchers as well. it will also presumably benefit taxpayers by halting many of creamer ranch’s usda subsidies.
the nature conservancy’s mission has always impressed me as being respectful of private citizens as well as the environment, two forces that need not always be at cross purpose. the conservancy strives to preserve habitat and species not by forcing others to conserve, but by simply purchasing and managing critical lands. since the land is then the conservancy’s alone, they can be confident that lands are treated in an ecologically sensitive manner. this method comes at no expense to taxpayers and to the mutual benefit of both the former land owner and the conservancy. many times the organization is able to purchase conservation easements at a lower cost, allowing owners to maintain usage of their lands while ensuring their preservation.
although i’m concerned with the conservancy’s recent direction, including an increasing reliance on governmental mechanisms for securing and maintaining lands, they’ve got the right idea in general for preserving critical habitat for endangered species.
Labels: social, well being
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Tuesday, February 08, 2005
brief note on corporate social responsibility
i came across a recent interview with a ceo that highlights the prevailing ideas surrounding the profit-driven corporations. the straw man:
on a related note, the economist had an excellent dissection of theories of corporate social responsibility a few weeks ago, and a bit of it is available online.
While he maintained that modern business schools do an excellent job teaching free-market principles, they often neglect the human aspect of a company.the two - economic and human aspects - need not be mutually exclusive for the smart ceo. focusing only on profits may lead to both quality and quantity of employee benefits. by ensuring that workers ers psychologically healthy, the ceo will gain of a more productive workforce, and thereby more profit. more profit will lead the enterprise to grow and employ more and more people.
As a result, employees become more burned out, turnover rates increase and workplace morale suffers because businesses forget that their fundamental objective should be to keep humans in mind, Ouimet said.
Balancing the two isn't easy, he acknowledges, especially since the economic and human aspects should carry equal weight in an organization.
on a related note, the economist had an excellent dissection of theories of corporate social responsibility a few weeks ago, and a bit of it is available online.
Labels: social
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Wednesday, February 02, 2005
no blogging until next week...
food for thought from wired:
food for thought from wired:
Beneath the nervous clatter of our half-completed decade stirs a slow but seismic shift. The Information Age we all prepared for is ending. Rising in its place is what I call the Conceptual Age, an era in which mastery of abilities that we've often overlooked and undervalued marks the fault line between who gets ahead and who falls behind.read on... or, read some old hedgehog on, say, sexist self (or not), the not-so-gullible public (and p-diddy's vote for bush), the benefit of bad moods, lefty bioengineering, neural correlates of shortsightedness...
To some of you, this shift - from an economy built on the logical, sequential abilities of the Information Age to an economy built on the inventive, empathic abilities of the Conceptual Age - sounds delightful. "You had me at hello!" I can hear the painters and nurses exulting. But to others, this sounds like a crock. "Prove it!" I hear the programmers and lawyers demanding.
OK. To convince you, I'll explain the reasons for this shift, using the mechanistic language of cause and effect.
The effect: the scales tilting in favor of right brain-style thinking. The causes: Asia, automation, and abundance.
Labels: social
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viagra and medically necessity
john over at notyourtv blogs about viagra's inclusion in medicare's prescription drug benefit. the article includes comments by medicare's spokesman gary karr, reassuring us that viagra will only be covered when "medically necessary."
"necessary" implies requirement and absolute need. i've always thought that a drug is only medically necessary when it is required to save one's life, and although i'm no doctor it seems unlikely that impotence is a life-and-death situation. it's not clear what plausible alternative definition could exist for "necessary."
in reality, karr's statement simply means that viagra will only be covered when there are no alternatives. using the former, broader, interpretation of his statement is more fun, and a better brain exercise regarding the point of medicare. should medicare cover anything not required for survival? are preventative drugs, such as statins and even vitamins, included in that case? if that's so, then perhaps healthy food should be as well. i know, us damn libertarians and our slippery slopes.
"necessary" implies requirement and absolute need. i've always thought that a drug is only medically necessary when it is required to save one's life, and although i'm no doctor it seems unlikely that impotence is a life-and-death situation. it's not clear what plausible alternative definition could exist for "necessary."
in reality, karr's statement simply means that viagra will only be covered when there are no alternatives. using the former, broader, interpretation of his statement is more fun, and a better brain exercise regarding the point of medicare. should medicare cover anything not required for survival? are preventative drugs, such as statins and even vitamins, included in that case? if that's so, then perhaps healthy food should be as well. i know, us damn libertarians and our slippery slopes.
Labels: social
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Tuesday, January 25, 2005
the roomba and human worth
robby's great, but will there come a time when machines will become a little too useful? science fiction has warned of this for years. a particular twilight zone episode, "the brain center at mr. whipple's," featuring a cameo by my roomba's namesake robby the robot, comes to mind...
mr. whipple automates his entire factory, right down to his secretary. predictably, he is replaced by a robot by the board of directors who, we can assume, would later replace themselves, making humans obsolete. mr. in whipple's final soliloquy he laments (i'm paraphrasing), "a man has value! a man has worth! it isn't fair - the way they diminish us."
then a final word from the narrator:
we are always trying to find suitable replacements for ourselves. classical mechanic/architect heron of alexandria even constructed a fully automated play. modern attempts include my robby and cgi films like the incredibles and final fantasy.
perhaps i'm naive to disregard concerns about such endeavors. but really, the fascination with robots is not because we see little value in humans -it's quite the opposite. there's a good reason why robots have not yet replaced humans. partly, of course, technology has not yet advanced enough, but mainly i think humans will remain the ultimate commodity. we are so obsessed with ourselves, our humanness, that we are one technology that will never expire.
mr. whipple was right that we do have worth, but i don't think technology is a diminisher, but rather a homage.
plus, it's really cool.
for more crazy robot stuff, check out isaac asimov.
as a semi-related aside, isn't google awesome? having no clue what the episode title was, i typed in "'twilight zone' +whipple" and the first option had exactly what i needed. what an intelligent program. that reminds me of a new term i learned:
update: i can't vacuum without a computer, and apparently i can't spell without one either.
mr. whipple automates his entire factory, right down to his secretary. predictably, he is replaced by a robot by the board of directors who, we can assume, would later replace themselves, making humans obsolete. mr. in whipple's final soliloquy he laments (i'm paraphrasing), "a man has value! a man has worth! it isn't fair - the way they diminish us."
then a final word from the narrator:
There are many bromides applicable here.... The point is that too often man becomes clever instead of becoming wise, he becomes inventive and not thoughtful - and sometimes, in the case of Mr. Whipple, he can create himself right out of existence.in an recent ap article, a farmer seems to be doing just that, but doesn't seem to mind:
But Watkins doesn't see it that way. Advancements in agriculture have eliminated a lot of back-breaking work. The hours are still long, but much time is now spent managing and marketing the business.the machines allow him to do more of the pleasant work, basically. the concern with this kind of automation is about control and utility. if they do the same job as we do, and better, can we replace ourselves completely? what will be our value if all of our tasks can be more cheaply done by a robby? this technophobia is common, aggravated by concerns about the new fly-eating robot.
"I don't want to go back to using horses and old tractors," he said. "I don't want to shovel manure by hand. To me, that's ludicrous."
we are always trying to find suitable replacements for ourselves. classical mechanic/architect heron of alexandria even constructed a fully automated play. modern attempts include my robby and cgi films like the incredibles and final fantasy.
perhaps i'm naive to disregard concerns about such endeavors. but really, the fascination with robots is not because we see little value in humans -it's quite the opposite. there's a good reason why robots have not yet replaced humans. partly, of course, technology has not yet advanced enough, but mainly i think humans will remain the ultimate commodity. we are so obsessed with ourselves, our humanness, that we are one technology that will never expire.
mr. whipple was right that we do have worth, but i don't think technology is a diminisher, but rather a homage.
plus, it's really cool.
for more crazy robot stuff, check out isaac asimov.
as a semi-related aside, isn't google awesome? having no clue what the episode title was, i typed in "'twilight zone' +whipple" and the first option had exactly what i needed. what an intelligent program. that reminds me of a new term i learned:
google-slap: verb. to reply to one's question with a link to the answer in the form of a google search results page.
update: i can't vacuum without a computer, and apparently i can't spell without one either.
Labels: social
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Monday, January 24, 2005
brace yourselves!
in case you were wondering, today is the worst day of the year.
of course, individuals vary. you can calculate your own worst day with alan cohen's handy formula:
of course, individuals vary. you can calculate your own worst day with alan cohen's handy formula:
1/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA.i'll stick with january 24 and get it over with at the beginning of the year, thankyouverymuch.
W: Weather
D: Debt
d: Money due in January pay
T: Time since Christmas
Q: Time since failed quit attempt
M: General motivational levels
NA: The need to take action
Labels: social
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Tuesday, January 18, 2005
is love blind, or efficient?
researchers at oregon state university think they may have discovered scientific evidence of the bromide, "love is blind." frank bernieri et al. asked volunteers to identify couples in love, and results were compared to whether or not volunteers were actually in love themselves. the results are surprising:
most singles are at least open to the possibility of finding a partner and monitor their environs for signals from potential mates. this probably takes up a nontrivial amount of brainpower. in contrast, most individuals in love no longer require this monitoring mechanism. perhaps they have "turned off" this device and devoted that brainpower to other activities. if one is in a relationship, it is more efficient to devote that energy to other pursuits, such as maintaining the relationship, than constantly monitoring the environment for signals. it may not be an ability we can turn on and off consciously. so, singles would be better at identifying signals of true love, as they are more attuned to them...
as far as i know, "blind love" is not a validated psychological phenomenon, although it is a catchy research agenda. perhaps further study could reveal some truth to this folklore, but there could be a another explanation for this phenomenon.'Overall, we simply could not find any common attributes among those were who very good at this - other than the fact that they were not in love at the time of the study. The ironic part was discovering that people who were most in love were most confident in their ability.
'But as it turned out,' Bernieri said, 'they were so blind in their love they turned out to be wrong more often than right.'
...
Bernieri said what likely happens is that couples in love tend to project some of their own theories and attitudes about love onto others. Or they may identify certain behaviors by other couples - snuggling, a hand on the knee, intense eye contact - and attribute them to true, long-lasting companionate love instead of, say, infatuation or lust.
most singles are at least open to the possibility of finding a partner and monitor their environs for signals from potential mates. this probably takes up a nontrivial amount of brainpower. in contrast, most individuals in love no longer require this monitoring mechanism. perhaps they have "turned off" this device and devoted that brainpower to other activities. if one is in a relationship, it is more efficient to devote that energy to other pursuits, such as maintaining the relationship, than constantly monitoring the environment for signals. it may not be an ability we can turn on and off consciously. so, singles would be better at identifying signals of true love, as they are more attuned to them...
Labels: social
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Tuesday, January 11, 2005
tobacco companies' outrageous conduct
tobacco companies have recently introduced new flavors such as "warm winter toffee." michigan's surgeon general and department of community health aren't having it, and asked rj reynolds to stop marketing this product. the ap article also cites massachusetts' persecution of yummy smokes, where the state claimed that it violates a law prohibiting marketing of their product to youth. matt myers of campaign for tobacco-free kids chimes in:
studies reveal that the negative impact of tv violence can be negated with effective parental mediation. we may be able to apply the same lesson to marketing of "bad" substances. parents would do better to take an active role in their kid's behaviors, instead of hoping - and legislating - that they are not exposed to negative influences.
of course, those advocating such legislation aren’t only concerned about their children. advocates are well aware that some parents won’t talk to their kids about the harms of smoking, so legislation is the next best thing. in fact, some parents actually enjoy smoking. seeing a parent or other adult role model smoking is the best cigarette ad for a kid – if the state stops that, it will probably reduce teen smoking more than all other methods combined.
It's essential that states concerned about smoking among children take aggressive action to call attention to this outrageous conduct.when is improving your product for adults not outrageous conduct? when is advertising to adults not also advertising to youth? rj reynolds is criticized for marketing cigarettes in magazines such as cosmopolitan and glamour because they target youth. i read those magazines on occasion, and if my kids were reading that crap, i would have more to worry about than cigarette ads.
studies reveal that the negative impact of tv violence can be negated with effective parental mediation. we may be able to apply the same lesson to marketing of "bad" substances. parents would do better to take an active role in their kid's behaviors, instead of hoping - and legislating - that they are not exposed to negative influences.
of course, those advocating such legislation aren’t only concerned about their children. advocates are well aware that some parents won’t talk to their kids about the harms of smoking, so legislation is the next best thing. in fact, some parents actually enjoy smoking. seeing a parent or other adult role model smoking is the best cigarette ad for a kid – if the state stops that, it will probably reduce teen smoking more than all other methods combined.
Labels: social
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Thursday, December 30, 2004
corporate aide in south asia
pfizer will donate $35 million in cash, medicine, and other supplies. amazon.com will give $3.5 million. aol is donating and matching employee contributions up to $50,000. starbucks will donate $2 for every pound of sumatra coffee it sells. the list goes on.
tonight i learned (on cnn) that u.s. corporations have pledged more than double the aide, in money and supplies, that the us government has already to asian victims of the tsunami. it’s difficult to say yet whether uncle sam or corporate entities will give more in the end, but these early numbers are encouraging for private enterprise.
corporations are probably given generous tax breaks for donations, but this significant level of generosity cannot be due to the desire to lower tax bills alone. other significant encouragement mechanisms exist in the free market. tonight cnn listed the largest corporate donors and the amounts they had given, and that’s a powerful commercial. knowing cnn, that will be looped for quite a while. corporations can use their charity as a selling point in their ads and to their stockholders as well – some could use some good pr these days. i know i’m now a happier pfizer stockholder and will probably hold onto it longer than i should if it takes a dip.
you’ve already donated to the rescue and clean-up efforts through your taxes and business transactions with the above corporations. to donate more, visit red cross or another aid website. also check out the tsunami blog for more ways to help. they can use all you can give!
update: a great list of corporate donations at cnn.
tonight i learned (on cnn) that u.s. corporations have pledged more than double the aide, in money and supplies, that the us government has already to asian victims of the tsunami. it’s difficult to say yet whether uncle sam or corporate entities will give more in the end, but these early numbers are encouraging for private enterprise.
corporations are probably given generous tax breaks for donations, but this significant level of generosity cannot be due to the desire to lower tax bills alone. other significant encouragement mechanisms exist in the free market. tonight cnn listed the largest corporate donors and the amounts they had given, and that’s a powerful commercial. knowing cnn, that will be looped for quite a while. corporations can use their charity as a selling point in their ads and to their stockholders as well – some could use some good pr these days. i know i’m now a happier pfizer stockholder and will probably hold onto it longer than i should if it takes a dip.
you’ve already donated to the rescue and clean-up efforts through your taxes and business transactions with the above corporations. to donate more, visit red cross or another aid website. also check out the tsunami blog for more ways to help. they can use all you can give!
update: a great list of corporate donations at cnn.
Labels: social
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Sunday, December 19, 2004
leave Christmas alone.
Christmas has lost much of its spiritual meaning in the public sphere, and that’s fine with me. but wait, let me explain. charles krauthammer’s article in the washington post made me think about the significance of the words "merry Christmas" - or rather, the significance of their absence, and my conclusion surprised even me.
it’s common knowledge that the politically correct climate has vilified the word Christmas. i know i’m uncomfortable using the word in greeting unless i’m fairly sure the recipient is Christian. although it would be as strange for me to wish a buddhist merry Christmas as it would for my jewish friends to wish me a happy rosh hashanah, this practice has gone from innocent case of mistaken identity or naive assumption to a serious crime of persecution and attempted assimilation. okay, maybe not that bad. but still, you see my point.
although krauthammer’s probably right that it doesn’t hurt non-Christians, i’d still rather do without. members of other religions should be glad that their most sacred holidays have not been diluted, usurped by the state, and merged with pagan holidays. the state’s - or wal-mart’s for that matter - involvement in the celebration of my deeply-held religious beliefs is something i do not need or desire. i’d rather keep uncle sam, and my neighbor’s tax dollars, as far way from my spiritual well-being as possible. there is plenty of room in civil society for religious celebration, i don’t need it subsidized. i won’t go so far as to say we should ban public celebration of the holiday as the puritans did, but i don’t need strangers to wish me merry Christmas. i don’t need my future children to learn about their religion from the government. let me practice in peace, and in private - without uncle sam, or you. the title of krauthammer’s article rings true for me too, but in a different way: leave Christmas alone.
nonChristians who celebrate Christmas make up about twenty percent of the population, then, according to the statistics cited above. these “cultural Christians” are a peculiar breed who celebrate Christian holidays because they are part of their cultural framework and family tradition. besides, it’s a good reason to spend large sacks of money making one’s house look like the runway at laguardia. of course, Christmas has both cultural and religious aspects, mostly the former. a clear distinction between the secular, winter holiday and the holy day, divorcing the pagan traditions of gift-giving and partying and deference for the birth of Christ, would resolve some of this tension. we could – oh yes, we could! – even have two greetings: happy holidays and merry Christmas (cultural Christians might want to think of something more creative than happy holidays)! we could then keep cultural Christmas alive in public schools, and keep all the cultural celebration. let them have their candy canes, their snow men, their reindeer, their elves. let them walk in a winter wonderland. these things have nothing to do with my spirituality, but rather the secular concomitant, not necessity, of my religion.
so merry Christmas, and happy holidays! i’ll celebrate both this year.
krauthammer article via a & l daily.
it’s common knowledge that the politically correct climate has vilified the word Christmas. i know i’m uncomfortable using the word in greeting unless i’m fairly sure the recipient is Christian. although it would be as strange for me to wish a buddhist merry Christmas as it would for my jewish friends to wish me a happy rosh hashanah, this practice has gone from innocent case of mistaken identity or naive assumption to a serious crime of persecution and attempted assimilation. okay, maybe not that bad. but still, you see my point.
...more than 80 percent [it’s 77% as of 2001] of Americans are Christian, and probably 95 [96] percent of Americans celebrate Christmas. Christmas Day is an official federal holiday, the only day of the entire year when, for example, the Smithsonian museums are closed. Are we to pretend that Christmas is nothing but an orgy of commerce in celebration of... what? The winter solstice?so four percent of the population may feel left out at this time of year, and many Christians may feel guilty about this. but you don’t hear everyone complaining:
I'm struck by the fact that you almost never find Orthodox Jews complaining about a Christmas creche in the public square. That is because their children, steeped in the richness of their own religious tradition, know who they are and are not threatened by Christians celebrating their religion in public. They are enlarged by it.krauthammer gets it both wrong and right here. i’m not sure it’s the open display of the Christian religion that bothers everyone, but rather the government’s display of religion. Christians sometimes see their right to practice religion as their right to have the state sponsor their religion, as in the case of public school caroling and courthouse nativity scenes.
It is the more deracinated members of religious minorities, brought up largely ignorant of their own traditions, whose religious identity is so tenuous that they feel the need to be constantly on guard against displays of other religions -- and who think the solution to their predicament is to prevent the other guy from displaying his religion, rather than learning a bit about their own.
although krauthammer’s probably right that it doesn’t hurt non-Christians, i’d still rather do without. members of other religions should be glad that their most sacred holidays have not been diluted, usurped by the state, and merged with pagan holidays. the state’s - or wal-mart’s for that matter - involvement in the celebration of my deeply-held religious beliefs is something i do not need or desire. i’d rather keep uncle sam, and my neighbor’s tax dollars, as far way from my spiritual well-being as possible. there is plenty of room in civil society for religious celebration, i don’t need it subsidized. i won’t go so far as to say we should ban public celebration of the holiday as the puritans did, but i don’t need strangers to wish me merry Christmas. i don’t need my future children to learn about their religion from the government. let me practice in peace, and in private - without uncle sam, or you. the title of krauthammer’s article rings true for me too, but in a different way: leave Christmas alone.
nonChristians who celebrate Christmas make up about twenty percent of the population, then, according to the statistics cited above. these “cultural Christians” are a peculiar breed who celebrate Christian holidays because they are part of their cultural framework and family tradition. besides, it’s a good reason to spend large sacks of money making one’s house look like the runway at laguardia. of course, Christmas has both cultural and religious aspects, mostly the former. a clear distinction between the secular, winter holiday and the holy day, divorcing the pagan traditions of gift-giving and partying and deference for the birth of Christ, would resolve some of this tension. we could – oh yes, we could! – even have two greetings: happy holidays and merry Christmas (cultural Christians might want to think of something more creative than happy holidays)! we could then keep cultural Christmas alive in public schools, and keep all the cultural celebration. let them have their candy canes, their snow men, their reindeer, their elves. let them walk in a winter wonderland. these things have nothing to do with my spirituality, but rather the secular concomitant, not necessity, of my religion.
so merry Christmas, and happy holidays! i’ll celebrate both this year.
krauthammer article via a & l daily.
Labels: social
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Thursday, December 09, 2004
an unethical cure?
the ny times has an interesting article about hangover cures. prickly pear extract appears to be the way to go. i began the article as a fyi regarding the kinds of new "cures" for this self-inflicted set of maladies, but the article touches on more than that.
jonathan glater delves into the morals of hangover research, if briefly. hangovers and other "alcohol-related problems" cost the us $150 a year in lost productivity, and i'm sure that many americans have been less productive on a friday morning than they're willing to admit. creating a cure is certainly financially justifiable. however, would it create a nation of alcoholics?
even if it did encourage people to drink a bit more, so what? well, glater notes:
jonathan glater delves into the morals of hangover research, if briefly. hangovers and other "alcohol-related problems" cost the us $150 a year in lost productivity, and i'm sure that many americans have been less productive on a friday morning than they're willing to admit. creating a cure is certainly financially justifiable. however, would it create a nation of alcoholics?
The development of a foolproof hangover cure, for example, might encourage people to drink more, knowing they could take a pill to avoid suffering the next day.would a hangover cure increase the amount that people would drink? i say yes, but only minutely so. first, i'm willing to bet most people forget how truly awful their last hangover was. second, the reason most people drink to the point they are physically ill in the morning is that they do what economists call discounting the future. in this phenomenon, people put less weight on their future well-being than on their current wellbeing. a hangover doesn't factor into one's choice of beverage as much as it should anyway for these reasons, so i see little reason for the hangover cure to make a huge impact on decisions. (more on discounting the future)
even if it did encourage people to drink a bit more, so what? well, glater notes:
And the prospect of bus drivers' or airplane pilots' popping hangover pills and going to work is enough to give anyone pause.but consider the alternative: the pilot that doesn't have an effective hangover cure, and has to go to work anyway. who would you want holding your life in their hands? the benefits may outweigh the possible risk of a few more people having another drink.
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Tuesday, November 30, 2004
are you a good person? it could just be your genes
j.p. rushton of the university of western ontario has found that genetics play a major role in social responsibility. using identical and non-identical twins' responses to a social attitude scale, rushton calculated that genes account for 42% of socially responsible attitudes, with home environment only accounting for 23% of differences. the remaining 35% falls to outside environmental factors. i think the article is forthcoming from proceedings of the royal society b. rushton published similar results in the mid-eighties, where he attributed 50% of personality measures to genetics.
does this mean we get less credit for being "good" people?
(rushton's highly controversial book race, evolution, and behavior used demographic data to suggest that races have more differences than just skin color, including athletic ability and even brain size and intelligence.)
does this mean we get less credit for being "good" people?
(rushton's highly controversial book race, evolution, and behavior used demographic data to suggest that races have more differences than just skin color, including athletic ability and even brain size and intelligence.)
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Tuesday, November 02, 2004
voting
today a friend emailed me and said:
On another note, John has been lecturing me on the importance of voting (even though I DID vote) because I said that I think everyone has a right to vote or not to vote. He couldn't grasp the idea and we've been going around in circles.that prompted my rant below, which i fully acknowledge may be influenced partially because i cannot vote this year...
Importance of voting: what a crock. Myths abound. I awoke this morning to some lady from a women's rights organization on the radio screeching, "If you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain, remember," which is one of the most dangerous statements I've ever heard.marginal revolution has a good post on reasons to vote.
Voting a very pathetic and ineffectual expression of one's civic duty. To really enact change you should donate to or volunteer for lobbying organizations. Today on NPR they were saying that the governor of PN has given expatriates an extra 8 days to get their ballots in - how much more obvious does it have to be that those ballots will have little, if any, sway on the outcome?
It's the system that's the problem, not the person in office. The incentive structure of government offices is to increase encroachment into our personal lives, no matter how well-intentioned the politician is. The size of gov't has increased each year since the office was created, even under Reagan. And you can't vote out a system.
Even if voting were meaningful, usually the options are ridiculous. As the boys from Southpark say, it's basically like choosing between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich. I refuse to add to the legitimacy of a candidate whose policies are antithetical to the majority of the ideals I hold. I refuse to put support, no matter how ineffectual, behind someone I think will do a bad job. I can't think of anyone running this year I would put support behind.
I do believe in voting in some ways, though. It increases an electorate's awareness about issues, which is important to some degree. However, its negatives may outweigh its benefits. Again, you're giving legitimacy to someone who you don't always agree with, and they'll take that "vote of confidence" and run, thinking they have the backing of "the people." What voting has done to our conception of government is also bad in some ways. As Hayek warned in the Constitution of Liberty, only under democracies did people begin to think it was unnecessary to limit the government's reach into our economic and personal lives. To me, that's a bad, bad, thing.
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Tuesday, October 05, 2004
mt. st. helens, risk, and natural selection
from the ap:
so... what's going on here? a volcano, whose last major eruption killed nearly sixty people, is spewing ash and smoke. instead of running for their lives, people are flocking to the site. these strange tourists could value the emotional high they get from being on the precipice of a major catastrophe more than their safety. i'd wager a lot of them have the "thrill seeking gene" and a lot more are ego-driven, wanting that “i was there when...” trophy.
more on risk and choice
update: watch mt. st. helen's from the safety of your home.
Thousands of tourists spent hours gazing at Mount St. Helens, packing buildings, crowding parking lots and watching from roadsides to see what the rumbling mountain would do next.
While scientists kept a watchful eye on the volcano, throngs of curious onlookers filled the mountain's visitor centers. Others sat outside in lawn chairs, sipping coffee, determined to witness the next eruption.
so... what's going on here? a volcano, whose last major eruption killed nearly sixty people, is spewing ash and smoke. instead of running for their lives, people are flocking to the site. these strange tourists could value the emotional high they get from being on the precipice of a major catastrophe more than their safety. i'd wager a lot of them have the "thrill seeking gene" and a lot more are ego-driven, wanting that “i was there when...” trophy.
more on risk and choice
update: watch mt. st. helen's from the safety of your home.
Labels: decision making, social
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Thursday, August 26, 2004
zoloft and the power of suggestion
a fascinating tidbit in psychology today this month: placebos are nearly as effective as pharmaceuticals in many cases, particularly among children and those with mild depression. some of the data is shocking:
- in a zoloft trial, 59% of children improved on placebo, compared to 69% on zoloft.
- the response to placebos seems to be increasing 7% per decade.
theories as to why placebos are so effective abound. in young people and those with mild depression, it could be that the circuits aren’t as severely disrupted or ingrained and are therefore easier to correct, possibly simply by a trick of mind. the conundrum of why placebos are increasingly effective over the decades, however, is another question altogether. an interesting theory is that drug ads are convincing us that drugs are more effective, creating a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.
besides an interesting bit of trivia, you may be asking, what’s the point? well. the fda requires drug companies to prove that their drugs have statistically significant effects compared to placebos. if companies can’t prove this, their drug will not be approved for sale in the us. with this phenomenon on the rise, with such startling results as those cited above, perhaps the fda will have to rethink what it calls an effective drug.
in addition, i wonder if drug marketing is actually improving the effectiveness of the drug, therefore providing a kind of public good?
Labels: drugs, misc. psych, neuroscience, social
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Wednesday, August 25, 2004
private associations and free speech
a recent article in usa today claims that homeowners associations are stifling free speech rights by forbidding political yard signs. it seems to me that one doesn’t really have free-speech rights if s/he’s signed a contract agreeing to give them up, as many homeowners have done. if homeowners are surprised and upset, they didn’t read the association rules carefully before they signed the contract, or valued the other amenities offered by the association more than their “right” to post yard signs. it could be that they didn’t foresee themselves wanting to post yard signs, and therefore didn’t factor that into their decision.
usa today is unnecessarily concerned that entire cities are – or will soon be - ruled by such associations. although in the worst case scenario homes not ruled by an association may someday be in inconvenient locations, the buyer will always have that trade-off. i am willing to bet that even in a market where only association homes were available, homeowners associations, in an effort to attract more members, will compete with each other. this will result in a variety of associations that appeal to the variegated tastes and values of homeowners. for this reason i sincerely doubt a situation where a whole region is ruled by only one association, but even then homeowners aren’t being forced to move to a particular region, and they can opt to move elsewhere.
the concern of private vs. public power is an important issue to debate theoretically, but as long as people have a choice to avoid being ruled by private power such as this, the issue is not one for serious concern.
link via NCPA
usa today is unnecessarily concerned that entire cities are – or will soon be - ruled by such associations. although in the worst case scenario homes not ruled by an association may someday be in inconvenient locations, the buyer will always have that trade-off. i am willing to bet that even in a market where only association homes were available, homeowners associations, in an effort to attract more members, will compete with each other. this will result in a variety of associations that appeal to the variegated tastes and values of homeowners. for this reason i sincerely doubt a situation where a whole region is ruled by only one association, but even then homeowners aren’t being forced to move to a particular region, and they can opt to move elsewhere.
the concern of private vs. public power is an important issue to debate theoretically, but as long as people have a choice to avoid being ruled by private power such as this, the issue is not one for serious concern.
link via NCPA
Labels: social
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Monday, August 09, 2004
believing in magic
david boaz (president of the Cato Institute)'s article in the la times reminds me of another seattle thought. the article gets into much more complex ideas, but the idea of "government magic" made me think of this...
we were in a shop at the fabulous pike place market that had all sorts of prints and hundreds of old magazines and newspapers. despite a pact to keep my wallet firmly in my pocket, i ended up buying a haunting mucha print and an early 1900's anti-capitalist propaganda poster. after we made our purchases, we asked the hippie proprietor a question - how's business? the response was not shocking: business is slow. the shop has been losing money for a while now, and she even had to stop ordering new stock for the time being. there was a definite edge to her voice, a fleck of despair. at the end of her lamentations, with clenched fists she exclaimed that hopefully, with a new president, they'd be back on track in no time. the only response i could muster was "well, let's not put all our hopes in one event." her proclamation had caught me off guard, but i don't think her mentality is unusual.
in times of hopeless perhaps it's natural to seek one a one-shot solution. it's simple, it's easy. just get one party elected, and everything else will fall into place. it makes a politician's job so much easier - vote for me and i'll solve all of your problems. it's disturbing to believe that a situation is complex and that there are hundreds of events that must align to change something - and worse yet, that most are not under our direct control.
la times link via cafe hayek
we were in a shop at the fabulous pike place market that had all sorts of prints and hundreds of old magazines and newspapers. despite a pact to keep my wallet firmly in my pocket, i ended up buying a haunting mucha print and an early 1900's anti-capitalist propaganda poster. after we made our purchases, we asked the hippie proprietor a question - how's business? the response was not shocking: business is slow. the shop has been losing money for a while now, and she even had to stop ordering new stock for the time being. there was a definite edge to her voice, a fleck of despair. at the end of her lamentations, with clenched fists she exclaimed that hopefully, with a new president, they'd be back on track in no time. the only response i could muster was "well, let's not put all our hopes in one event." her proclamation had caught me off guard, but i don't think her mentality is unusual.
in times of hopeless perhaps it's natural to seek one a one-shot solution. it's simple, it's easy. just get one party elected, and everything else will fall into place. it makes a politician's job so much easier - vote for me and i'll solve all of your problems. it's disturbing to believe that a situation is complex and that there are hundreds of events that must align to change something - and worse yet, that most are not under our direct control.
la times link via cafe hayek
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Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Private Conservation
Waldo Wilcox sold the nearly untouched ruins of an ancient civilization in Utah to the government in 2002. He's had it since 1951.
Read the story...
Read the story...
Labels: social
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Monday, March 22, 2004
repeating history
so u. illinois students voted 2-1 to keep their mascot chief illiniwek.
students believe that he "pays homage to Illinois' American Indian history." well, if by paying homage, they mean proving the point that native americans are still not viewed as humans, then, yes. he pays homage to the still accepted stereotype of the feather-wearing, tomahawk-using, war paint-wearing chief.
ah, democratic racism, ain't nothin better.
students believe that he "pays homage to Illinois' American Indian history." well, if by paying homage, they mean proving the point that native americans are still not viewed as humans, then, yes. he pays homage to the still accepted stereotype of the feather-wearing, tomahawk-using, war paint-wearing chief.
ah, democratic racism, ain't nothin better.
Labels: social
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