Tag: Cato

Nadya Williams’ Christians Reading Classics: A New Look at Ancient Literature

Fractad
Fractad Coolidge
36
 

I love old books, but sometimes the gulf between the culture in which a book was written and my own is so great that I fail to get the original intent of the author. Nadya Williams has a new book to address this very problem. Christians Reading Classics is an invaluable guide to bridging the cultural divide between the authors of some of the most time-tested classic works from the ancient world and us. It is divided into five parts, in rough chronological order.

Part I is Longing for Eternity, and it covers Homer’s The Iliad, Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, Pindar’s Odes, and the Histories of Herodotus and Thucydides. Each chapter is relatively short but packed with profound insights. For example, in her analysis of The Iliad, Williams writes,

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Tariff Myths, Debunked

Just Yarob
Just Yarob Coolidge
28471797
 

Trump has announced a 25% tariff to be applied to imported vehicles and foreign-made auto parts starting on April 2nd. Because of the chaos, mayhem, and lack of planning characteristic of his administration, we won’t know whether this new tax will actually take effect until minutes before the deadline, but at the moment it looks likely (Trump often repeats his demented claim that if we tax ourselves with tariffs we will “get rich,” and who doesn’t want to get rich?).

The auto tariffs will cause steep jumps in the prices of all vehicles—imported and domestic, new and used. The prices of domestic vehicles will rise for at least three reasons:

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Hub Wonk #170

Farmers Welfare Bill: Rethinking Costly and Environmentally Distortive Subsidies

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Hosted by Joe Selvaggi
With guest Chris Edwards

Joe Selvaggi discusses the cost and consequences of the $1.5 trillion decade-long subsidies in the farm bill with Chris Edwards, Chair of Fiscal Studies at the Cato Institute. These subsidies have the potential to negatively impact incentives for consumers, producers, and those concerned about the environment.

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JobMakers #33

Alex Nowrasteh on What We Get Wrong About Immigrants

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Hosted by Denzil Mohammed
With guest Alex Nowrasteh

This week on JobMakers, host Denzil Mohammed talks with Alex Nowrasteh, the Cato Institute’s director of immigration studies and author of “The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They’re Wrong.” In it, he lays out in simple terms researched responses to anti-immigrant canards like, “today’s immigrants don’t assimilate like immigrants from before,” “immigrants are a major source of crime,” and “immigrants won’t vote for Republicans.” The same things said of immigrants today were said of immigrants a hundred years ago, no matter the group, whether Irish or Italian, Mexican or Haitian. This is the first of a two-part conversation, and some of what you’re about to hear might surprise you. Alex knows that. But getting truth and facts out there is paramount in advancing sensible policies that benefit all Americans, new or old, as you’ll discover in this week’s JobMakers.

We’re going to be off for Thanksgiving but back on December 2nd, when Alex Nowrasteh discusses undocumented immigrants, anti-immigration research and even Ann Coulter (!) in the next JobMakers.

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Do You Even Science, Bro?

Done
Done Inactive
2516
 

As religious belief loses steam in the western world, people must look elsewhere for ways to flex their moral superiority muscles. After all, without a core belief to espouse, you look rather silly while standing on a soap box. Sure, your primary reasons for occupying the pedestal are to feel good about yourself while simultaneously letting those around you know how awesome you are, but pretext can be important for one’s self-image.

An unfortunate side effect of this impulse has been the politicization of the sciences.  Rather than treating human knowledge as incomplete and ever evolving, many have chosen to treat scientists as a priestly cast, from which all decisions in life should be primarily informed. Many scientists balk at this role, while others embrace it. The Union of Concerned Scientists wants to know if you’ve got Science, and they provide a handy quiz in order to be sure. As a fun exercise, I thought we might take this as a group.

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