All graphs are either ratios of one topic or search against another topic or search, or percentages of the maximum level of interest ever achieved in a month for that topic or search. I’ve applied 12 month smoothing. Edit: As I finished writing this post I became aware that the New York times had done analysis of this … Continue reading Googling habits suggest we are getting a lot more anxious
Money makes the world go round: the case for materialist explanations in social science
I’m a materialist, and I wanted to take a moment to commend the idea of materialism to you. Materialism here doesn’t mean being greedy. Nor does it mean philosophical materialism- the view that only matter exists. Instead by materialism I mean the view that the economy in its widest possible sense- the technology, markets, legal … Continue reading Money makes the world go round: the case for materialist explanations in social science
Human nature isn’t a persuasive objection to left-wing ideas
Every so often someone puts to me the claim that egalitarian and left-wing ideas cannot work because of human nature. I have no concerns about the concept of human nature- any ethologist or psychologist could tell you that we come into the world with a bundle of capacities, drives and instincts. Rather, I find myself … Continue reading Human nature isn’t a persuasive objection to left-wing ideas
The economic record of command economies in perspective
Nintil, a libertarian blogger performs a long series of assessments on soviet GDP growth here. To his credit, Nintil updated the post a number of times as he became aware of new arguments and evidence. Like always in econometrics, there is never such a thing as the final word. With that caveat though, the three headline … Continue reading The economic record of command economies in perspective
Internet searches increasingly favour the left over the right wing of politics.
I became interested in the question of whether Left-Wing or Right-Wing ideas are gaining greater visibility, as measured by searches recorded in Google Trends (GT). Particularly in how patterns of searches change relative to each other. Generally speaking there’s more left-wing searches than right-wing searches, but this doesn’t really tell us much- for example, left-wingers might simply be … Continue reading Internet searches increasingly favour the left over the right wing of politics.
Median incomes aren’t keeping up with growth- however closely you look
By now a lot of people are aware that median incomes haven’t moved all that much in a long time. Many people are even starting to accept that this is evidence the economy is buggered, from an ordinary person’s point of view. This distressing reality is pretty well communicated by this chart: However one occasionally … Continue reading Median incomes aren’t keeping up with growth- however closely you look
Googling habits suggest we are getting a lot more anxious
All graphs are either ratios of one topic or search against another topic or search, or percentages of the maximum level of interest ever achieved in a month for that topic or search. I’ve applied 12 month smoothing. Edit: As I finished writing this post I became aware that the New York times had done analysis of this … Continue reading Googling habits suggest we are getting a lot more anxious
Weak correlations don’t necessarily mean weak relationships: A case study of self-report data
Scott Alexander once wrote an article on Allan Crossman’s suggestion that that parapsychology is the control group of science. In parapsychology we’ve got pretty good reasons to think nothing is going on, so the fact that people keep managing to generate significant results using the same methods they would for any experiment is an indictment of normal … Continue reading Weak correlations don’t necessarily mean weak relationships: A case study of self-report data
Inequality & The Soviet Union
This is going to be a very brief and low effort post, I apologise for that, but I’ve run into a particular error about half a dozen times in the last week, and you know what it’s like when somebody is wrong on the internet. This post isn’t going to endear me to anyone. The … Continue reading Inequality & The Soviet Union
Suicide rates and artistic tastes by state: Google as a window to the soul.
If you have been troubled by anything in this article, or feel like you might need help with problems in your own life, please seek assistance. Most countries have a mental health or suicide hotline. You can reach the American suicide hotline on 1–800–273–8255. You can find the appropriate hotline for your country here. I’ve … Continue reading Suicide rates and artistic tastes by state: Google as a window to the soul.
DePonySum 