Category Archives: Uncategorized

I mentioned in my previous post that I finished reading “Wild Problems” by Russ Roberts. What I did not mention is how Stephen Stigler’s new book “Casanova’s Lottery,” which I also recently read, influenced my reading of Wild Problems. In … Continue reading →

I finished reading “Wild Problems” by Russ Roberts yesterday and will post a review in the next day or two. In the meantime, I will be attending a symposium on Constitutional Ethnography at the University of Alabama today: Friday, 14 … Continue reading →

Among other things, I am a huge fan of my fellow classical liberal scholar Russ Roberts, and I am also fascinated by conspiracy theories, especially when they are true (see, for example, my paper on “The Leibniz Conspiracy“), so when … Continue reading →

That is the question posed in this case: Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith, which is before the U.S. Supreme Court. The “oral argument” is scheduled for 12 October at 10:00 AM Eastern (see here); in … Continue reading →

To the point, I recommend Stephen Stigler’s new book Casanova’s Lottery to anyone interested in the history, economics, ethics, and politics of modern-day lotteries. Among other things, Stigler not only traces the history of the French Loterie, the first large-scale … Continue reading →

According to this 2021 Pew Research Center report, “Columbus Day” is a public holiday in only 20 States, as well as American Samoa and Puerto Rico. (See infographic below.) Although Christopher Columbus has become a polemical figure in some quarters, … Continue reading →

Perfect timing: my copy of Stephen Stigler’s new book on “Casanova’s Lottery: The History of a Revolutionary Game of Chance” arrived a few days ago. I will read it over the weekend and report back soon …

Originally posted on prior probability:
On this day (11 September) in the year 9 A.D. the Romans suffer their greatest defeat at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest; thereafter the Rhine is established as the de facto border between the…

Below are three observations that caught my attention during the Cato Institute’s 6 October conference on “New Challenges to the Free Economy“: Hal Varian (Google): Google has more than 60,000 patents. (See slide below from Professor Varian’s Cato talk.) Matthew … Continue reading →

SpaceX launched their fourth manned spacecraft on 5 October (yesterday); meanwhile, the costly and obsolete Artemis rocket is still grounded …