The Musings of Scott

The most brilliant minds are those that view societal issues in multiple contexts at once. It was because of the breadth of Freidrich Hayek’s knowledge of history, philosophy, economics, and insight into human nature that he promoted economic systems that functioned more like a biological organism as opposed to a machine consisting of parts. In this video he also displays rare (for an economist) on-camera charisma, gracefully addressing concerns while intelligently dissecting the issues faced by Britain in the 1980′s. In review of current world events, one would be hard pressed to ignore the insight and wisdom he displays in this interview.

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Rather than give my 2 cents I’d rather share what has been making me think and reflect upon the current state of the world. At the moment it seems chock full of people ready to rebel and change things, but who seem more focused on revenge, or breaking the status quo, over replacing it with something better. Lots of anger but a severe lack of focus and, in some cases, morality. Some of the titles on the videos don’t do their content justice.

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EconStories.tv knocks one out of the park with the sequel to it’s Keynes vs. Hayek rap battle. This video is a well crafted argument, and ultimately a solid depiction of American economic policy. 2011 is not even half way through, but I am doubting anyone exceeds the cleverness and production quality of this intelligent satire.

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Do not ever say that the desire to “do good” by force is a good motive. Neither power-lust nor stupidity are good motives.
- Ayn Rand

4/15 Atlas Shrugged Releases
Relying heavily on a grassroots following from fans of the book, the independent film Atlas Shrugged releases to selected theaters tomorrow. (Find One Near You). I made it a goal of mine to get through Rand’s version of Atlas Shrugged before I watched the movie. It was lengthy and long winded at points, but it’s also an impressively detailed and elaborate argument for the philosophy of individualism. If you agree with her philosophy you’ll get sucked into the story she uses to illustrate her points, while even those that fundamentally disagree will be forced to think. Like a strategist, she combines an insightful analysis of human behavior coupled with first hand experience of the then “cutting edge” political philosophies (which still rule).
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While I expected folks to be taken off guard by my beliefs, I was a little startled over the reception it got. Religion is always such a taboo subject for so many folks, and one that is easy to offend others on. It was a great feeling to receive such warm reactions.

Now for part two of my series on religion. The questionnaire showed what the basics of my beliefs are, and the answers surely bucked the typical buckets (I have never felt a need to conform). If you paid attention you see many parallels to my political philosophies: live and let live. The astute would have found traces of Taoism and Buddhism, but the core of my philosophy would have been impossible to glean.
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“I’m here to do what you want me to, and I want to do.”

From his legendary San Quentin Prison Benefit Concert 1969

This is the quote that inspired me to write this piece, and was one that I felt particularly summarized the man’s (surprisingly) long career. As a pioneer of Rock and Country music, he went on to write over 1000 songs, win countless awards, and has inspired multiple generations of artists to follow him. His life has been adapted into 2 films and 2 Broadway musicals (half of which won awards as well). There are few people who are able to achieve the level of influence Johnny Cash ultimately had on American culture within their life time. The best part, and probably the reason he earned it, is that it wasn’t his goal.

“Success is having to worry about every damn thing in the world, except money.”

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“It is little short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not already completely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry…. I believe that one could even deprive a healthy beast of prey of its voraciousness if one could force it with a whip to eat continuously whether it were hungry or not…” Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Recently I read about a group of Psychology students claiming that the age of the (costly) Textbook is coming to an end, especially considering the internet is an up-to-the-minute library of everything you need to know about anything. Open Source Texts are nothing new, and there has been an increasing abundance of free education grade material on the internet. You can learn more in 1 hour wondering around Wikipedia than you could sitting in a lecture during that same time. I am of the opinion that the cost of higher education exceeds its value, especially considering you can access the same information for free. Be it degree inflation or over subsidizing education, a college degree simply isn’t worth what they charge for it.

Has the wage Gender gap been closing due to fairness laws, or have more couples been forced into dual careers to achieve the lifestyle they were raised to expect? That is for dwindling folks who are finding time to get married anymore.

Simply put, the current American Dream is of the pipe variety. Information is global the second you put it on the internet, and despite any clever methods to curtail it, people will take it, consume it, share it, and remix it (with and without paying for it). How can you compete on a global scale when we put arbitrary costs on how much learning your skills should cost? The modern student faces ~10 years of debt (if all goes well) to recoup the cost of their piece of paper with a brand name on it, while a third world competitor learns the exact same skills and knowledge for free by showing some initiative. Performance will always trump credentials, and we live in an age where individuals have an unparalleled potential to demonstrate their abilities.

I am always learning about a variety of subjects and hobbies at once, and I encourage you to also push your mind to capacity. Just because information is free doesn’t mean we should devalue it!

Get Inspired to Learn:
http://www.thersa.org/
http://www.ted.com/
http://bigthink.com/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
A benefit of Netflix being bullied by movie & TV studios is the awesome selection of documentaries and science programing.

Find Resources:
101 Killer Open Courseware Projects from Around the World: Ivy League and Beyond
iTunes U
Youtube
Wikipedia
Find Discussion Forums, Bookmarking Groups, Twitter Feeds, Blogs, etc, on your subject. The learning power of the crowd is an incredible thing!

“However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?”- Buddha

Do!
Too much time is wasted in our society not doing anything! Apply your knowledge via some creative medium, outlet, project. Combine interests into realms of knowledge, teach yourself new skills. Experiment, try, fail. (learn)

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Malcolm X
giving a speech is after his Pilgramage to Mecca (and falling out with the Nation of Islam). With his intellect and skill with rhetoric, I would have loved to hear his insights on modern cultural issues.

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