Author Archives: F. E. Guerra-Pujol
Sagar’s false choice
Political theorist Paul Sagar concludes his book Adam Smith Reconsidered with a remarkable claim: “Adam Smith is not a theorist of capitalism” (Sagar, p. 212, emphasis in the original). But this startling conclusion begs the question: if the great Scottish … Continue reading
Monday maths: 17 equations that changed our understanding of the world
They left out Bayes’ Theorem, but hey, nobody’s perfect. More details here, via Andy Kiersz (Business Insider).
History as memory versus history as evidence
How should history inform the study, practice, and interpretation of law? As I mentioned in my previous post (see below), professors Jack Balkin (Yale) and Randy Barnett (Georgetown) — two influential contemporary constitutional law scholars — presented competing theories of … Continue reading
*The uses and misuses of history (in law)*
That the was the theme of an engaging discussion I attended on Saturday morning at the annual meeting of law professors in Washington, D.C. This four-hour marathon panel featured two living academic legends, Jack Balkin (Yale) and Randy Barnett (Georgetown), … Continue reading
Happy Three Kings Day!
Don’t throw out your Christmas tree just yet: today (6 January) is the Feast of Epiphany or “Three Kings Day”! (See also here.) For my part, I will spend the first part of the day attending a special extended session … Continue reading
Gödel’s loophole update
What is Gödel’s loophole, and why is this puzzle relevant to our times? I will be addressing these questions when I present my work-in-progress Gödel’s Interbellum at the annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools in Washington, D.C. … Continue reading
Assorted links of my review of Sagar 2022
For your refernce, below are links to my five-part review of Paul Sagar’s Adam Smith Reconsidered: History, Liberty, and the Foundations of Modern Politics (Princeton University Press, 2022): 1. The Real Das Adam Smith Problem? (review of the introduction) 2. … Continue reading
Another Adam Smith Problem:
Alternate title: “The $64 Question: Part 2” (FYI: here is part 1) Note: Thus far, I have reviewed the first four chapters of Paul Sagar’s Adam Smith Reconsidered; today, I will conclude my review with Chapter 5 (“The Conspiracy of … Continue reading
Update: since I missed my morning flight to DCA (thanks TSA and CLEAR; see below), I will head off to Zaza’s in Terminal B to finish reading and reviewing Paul Sagar’s Adam Smith Reconsidered. In the meantime, I just have … Continue reading

