I had been meaning to write a post for awhile now about the ongoing dispute between Amazon and the publisher Hachette. The dispute centers largely on how much Amazon can discount physical books published by Hachette and how to set the price for e-books. Initially I was going to write about the rather absurd claims about Amazon’s actions in the dispute – they are like Russia massing troops on the Ukraine border, like a repressive regime, like a totalitarian state or the mafia or that
Tag Archives: free market
Death of a Concept – Vermont Republican
December last year I wrote a blog post in which I made the case that in the last several decades Republicans have more and more become pale versions of Democrats. I pointed out that while, during an election season at least, Republicans often use the rhetoric of protecting rights and limited government when it comes time to actually govern their policies are not very different from those of the Democrats. You can check the original post to see my arguments, which I still stand by.
One of the comments
The Moral Case for the Free Market – Dr. Eric Daniels
One of my favorite discoveries since I began studying objectivism is historian Dr. Eric Daniels. I first encountered him via lectures on various aspects of American history. (Links to them below the video.)
This video is a presentation he did in 2010 on the morality of the free market at TEDxGreenvile.
Lectures by Dr. Eric Daniels:
Podcast Roundup – November 4
Here are this week’s episodes from the Objectivism related podcasts I try to listen to. They are all great sources of information and insight on applying objectivist principles to everyday life.
Philosophy in Action with Dr. Diana Hsieh
- The speed of free market reforms
- The role of empathy in morality
- Rapid fire questions
Yaron Brook on Dr. Leonard Peikoff’s Podcast – Episode 294
- Should we all be entrepreneurs?
- Is there any real hope that America will embark on a better path after Obama?
- Isn’t it the case that people hate Wal-Mart because it engages in cronyism?
- Sex-offenders
- Should we encourage encryption technologies to resist government intrusion?
- Are metropolitan bankruptcies a manifestation of Atlas Shurgged?
I have also been listening to recorded lectures available from the Ayn Rand estore. This week I have been listening to:
I can’t recommend Eric Daniels lecture series enough. They