Guarding the Gift of Life

Ray Bradbury's thoughts on humanity, Thomas Sowell's basic principles of economics, and the perils of ESG

Guarding the Gift of Life

I recently came across a short clip from a 1974 interview with Science Fiction Author Ray Bradbury. In it, he gives a fascinating perspective on why we should engage in space travel and the connection between religion and science.

Contrary to the utilitarianism of space dorks like Musk, who present space travel as the vehicle for saving us from our Earthly doom, Bradbury saw a value in space-travel defined by what humanity can bring to the coldest parts of the universe. He saw humanity as the guardians of the ultimate gift — consciousness. And in our own peculiar dust mote the Earth, we have woken up to our own reflection as fingerprints of a universal God.

At one point in the interview, Bradbury says, “I like to think of myself as part of the Universe waking up. I like to get up in the morning and look around and go, ‘hey this is incredible, I’d like to keep this going.’”

Besides being both a unique and hopeful perspective, it is fundamentally pro-human. Bradbury, who at one point was one of the most popular fiction writers in the United States, makes a point that contrasts the cynical and anti-human culture we live in.

In regards to religion and science, Bradbury makes the point that both frameworks attempt to describe the universe but fall flat in the final analysis. In this way, they’re necessary and compatible as religion uses myth and science uses deterministic principles to explain our world. Both, in Bradbury’s eyes, reach similar conclusions without being mutually exclusive. They do each other’s jobs in different ways.

Watch the full interview here.

Food For Thought

• Classical Ideals | Megha Lillywhite

  A compelling and thoughtful writer, Megha brings a deep knowledge of Art History and Neuroscience to contemporary topics and conversations around feminism, men’s-rights, and politics. Never afraid to speak her mind, some of her most entertaining and enlightening essays include: “Therapy is Gay”, “You Need to Ditch Your Girl-Friends”, and “Social Media and the Hoor Economy”.

• The Passenger | Cormac McCarthy
  Published last year, The Passenger is a triumphant return for America’s most talented contemporary novelist. Set in the gulf states during the eighties, the novel is a weaving mystery centered around a mysterious plane crash and a missing passenger from the flight’s manifest.

• The Phony Ethics of ESG | Ashley Rindsberg, UnHerd

  If you’ve ever heard of “ESG” (Environmental-Social-Governance) but are ignorant of the details and implications, give this essay by Ashley Rindsberg a read. Thoroughly researched and poignantly written, Rindsberg lays out a framework for social control that is both terrifying in its commitment to the promotion of “correct values”.

Thomas Sowell’s 9 Lessons from Basic Economics

One of the most brilliant economic minds of the 20th century, Sowell’s conservative critiques of our modern monetary system are sharp, unyielding, and necessary for understanding the mess we’re currently in. A highly regarded first principles thinker, Sowell spent his early twenties as a socialist before realizing that economic data told a fundamentally different story about the United States and human nature. Here are 9 lessons from his book, Basic Economics, that are just as useful and enlightening today as when they were originally published.

1. Economics is the allocation of scarce resource which has alternative uses
   This is the thread that connects the entire premise of Basic Economics. The economy is where resources are distributed by individuals and economics is the study of how those resources are used. Resources, in this case, can be many things such as skills, goods, time, etc.

2. The market adjusts itself through price
   Prices adjust to bring the quantity supplied and the quantity demanded into balance. When the quantity supplied is greater than the quantity demanded, the price will fall, and when the quantity demanded is greater than the quantity supplied, the price will rise. This process of price adjustment is what brings the market into equilibrium, with the quantity supplied and the quantity demanded equal.

3. Money creates incentives
   Sowell contends that money creates incentives by providing a means of exchange and a measure of value, allowing individuals to make rational choices and leading to an efficient allocation of resources, and by signaling relative values, creating incentives for individuals and organizations to produce goods and services that are in high demand.
   

4. Competition is good for the economy
   According to Sowell, there are three primary ways in which competition is healthy for the economy:

   Innovation: Competition among businesses leads to the development of new products and technologies, as businesses strive to differentiate themselves from their competitors. This innovation drives economic growth and improves the standard of living for consumers.

   Efficiency: Businesses that face competition must operate efficiently in order to survive. They must minimize costs and maximize production in order to offer the lowest prices to consumers. This pressure to be efficient leads to increased productivity and economic growth.

   Lower Prices: Competition leads to lower prices for consumers. Businesses that want to attract customers must offer lower prices than their competitors. This puts pressure on all businesses to keep prices low, which benefits consumers by making goods and services more affordable.
   

5. Competition is not always a zero-sum game
   Sowell argues that competition is not always a zero-sum game because it can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. A zero-sum game is one in which one person's gain is another person's loss, but in a competitive market, both buyers and sellers can benefit from the exchange.
   

6. Risk pays
   Risk pays because it is a necessary component of innovation and progress. Without the potential for profit, individuals and companies would have little incentive to invest in new ideas, products, or technologies, and the economy as a whole would suffer. Additionally, the ability to take risks and potentially fail is crucial for the efficient allocation of resources, as it allows for the most successful and innovative ideas to rise to the top while less successful ideas are abandoned.
   

7. Policies often have unintended long-term consequences
   Economic policies often have unintended consequences because they are based on assumptions and predictions about how people and markets will respond to them. These assumptions and predictions can be inaccurate, as individuals and markets can act in unexpected ways. Additionally, economic policies can interact with other factors in the economy, leading to unintended consequences that are difficult to predict. Sowell argues that policymakers should be cautious in implementing economic policies and should consider the potential unintended consequences before making decisions.
   

8. Politicians usually only consider short-term economic results
   Politicians usually only consider short-term results because they are primarily focused on getting re-elected. In order to do so, they need to demonstrate tangible results to voters in the form of policies and programs that will have a positive impact on their lives in the short term. Additionally, politicians may not be able to fully understand or predict the long-term consequences of their policies, and may therefore focus on short-term results that are more easily measurable.
   

9. Having a connected economy is important
   Having a connected economy is important because it allows for the efficient allocation of resources and the spread of knowledge and technology. A connected economy allows for the flow of goods, services, and ideas between different regions and industries, leading to increased productivity and economic growth.