Pros and Cons of Conformism—Rejoinder to Bryan Caplan
Two libertarian experts on public ignorance continue a debate about conformism.
Political Ignorance
Why I Don't Buy the Idea that You Can't Kill an Idea
Contrary to popular belief, ideas can in fact be killed. And that reality has important implications for how we should handle various conflicts, including those involving Israel and Ukraine.
Taylor Swift and Political Ignorance
A recent poll finding that 18 percent of all Americans and 32 percent of Republicans believe Taylor Swift is part of a covert conspiracy effort to help Biden win reelection. This is just one example of the broader problem of political ignorance and bias.
A Qualified Defense of Qualified Conformism
Some thoughts occasioned by economist Bryan Caplan's new book "You Will Not Stampede Me: Essays on Non-Conformism."
Don't Put too Much Stock in Survey Finding that 67% of 18-24-Year-Olds Say Jews are "Oppressors"
The much-cited Harvard-Harris poll question has flawed wording,and is at odds with other, better surveys.
Is Support for "From the River to the Sea" Based Upon Ignorance?
Younger Americans, in particular, appear to support calls for Palestinian liberation, but do they understand what a common slogan means?
New Survey Showing Public Ignorance About the Holocaust Among Young Americans
The Economist/YouGov survey indicates 1 in 5 young Americans believe the Holocaust is a "myth." The result is troubling, but less bad than it looks. It is also just one part of a broader problem of widespread ignorance about history and political issues.
Are Right-Wingers More Prone to Believe Conspiracy Theories than Left-Wingers?
An extensive new study finds that the answer is "no." Belief in conspiracy theories is about equally common on different sides of the political spectrum.
The Demand for Political Misinformation is a Bigger Problem than the Supply—Even in the Age of AI
Economist Tyler Cowen elaborates on some of the reasons why. The root of the problem is that voters have poor incentives to become well-informed and evaluate information objectively.
NYC Lawyer Dmitriy Shakhnevich Interviews Me on Wide Range of Law and Policy Issues
Topics covered include affirmative action, legacy preferences, the student loan forgiveness decision, refugee policy, indictments against Trump, Vladimir Putin, political ignorance, and more.
Juneteenth Celebrates a Great American Achievement
The emerging culture war over the holiday is misguided. In reality, Juneteenth celebrates one of the greatest triumphs of America and its founding principles.
How School Choice Can Mitigate Harmful Culture War Policies in Public Education
Current culture wars are just one more manifestation of the reality that public education routinely devolves into indoctrination and imposition of majoritarian ideology on dissenters. But school choice can help mitigate that problem.
Political Ignorance and Misinformation on the Left
Liberal political commentator Matt Yglesias explains why these problems are far from being confined to the right side of the political spectrum.
Bryan Caplan on NIMBYism and Economic Ignorance
Leading expert on political ignorance and housing comments on evidence indicating that ignorance, not self-interest, is at the root of most opposition to zoning reform.
A Flawed Attack on "Libertarian Elitism" About Voter Ignorance
The authors raise some reasonable issues. But they misunderstand both the libertarians they critique and the problem of political ignorance itself.
Tucker Carlson is More a Symptom of Our Problems than a Cause
I have more reason than most to cheer his departure from Fox News. But it's unlikely to significantly diminish the problem of political misinformation, which is driven by demand more than supply.
Jason Brennan's "Democracy: A Guided Tour"
The noted Georgetown political philosopher offers a valuable overview of the political theory of the strengths and weaknesses of democracy.
A Conflict Between Liberal Democracy and Authoritarian Nationalism: Implications of the Ideological Stakes in the Russia-Ukraine War
The war is often described as a conflict between authoritarianism and liberal democracy. That reality has some underappreciated implications.
Fox News 2020 Election Coverage Decisions Demonstrate that Demand for Misinformation is a Bigger Problem than the Supply
Major Fox talk show hosts knew that Trump's claims of a stolen election were false, but chose not to say so on air, for fear it would anger their audience.
Andrew Koppelman Responds to Critics of His Book on Libertarianism [Updated]
The response is part of the Balkinization blog symposium on his book " Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed," in which I was among the participants.
Balkinization Symposium on Andrew Koppelman's "Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed"
Participants include Jonathan Adler, Richard Epstein, Christina Mulligan, and myself, among others.
NIMBYism and Economic Ignorance
A new study presents compelling evidence that opposition to new housing construction is often caused the mistaken belief that it will increase housing prices rather than reduce them.
Yale Journal on Regulation Symposium on Peter Shane's "Democracy's Chief Executive"
Participants include Daniel Farber, Keith Whittington, Cristina Rodriguez, Lisa Heinzerling, and myself, among others.
Conservative Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw Says Republican Leaders' Election Denialism was "Always a Lie"
GOP politicians lied in order to exploit public ignorance. That dynamic is just one particularly egregious example of the broader danger widespread voter ignorance and bias.
Social Media Interaction Does Not Improve Political Knowledge, but It Does Polarize Us
Two new studies say there's no evidence of political learning on social media, but it does increasingly teach us to hate our opponents.
Not Everything Bad is "Anti-Democratic"—and that which is Democratic isn't Always Good
Tyler Cowen explains why it's a mistake to conflate democracy with what is good and just.
The "Good Government Trilemma": Why We Can't Have Democracy, Accountability, and Big Government all at Once
Canadian legal scholar Leonid Sirota outlines some reasons why.
My New Book Chapter on "Top-Down and Bottom-Up Solutions to the Problem of Political Ignorance""
It is now available for download on SSRN. The chapter is part of a forthcoming volume on "The Epistemology of Democracy," edited by Hana Samaržija and Quassim Cassam.
The Political Strategy of "Making the Other Side Better"
Economist Tyler Cowen argues this approach is too often neglected. But is more common than he suggests.
Conservative Legal Luminaries Release Report Entitled "Lost, Not Stolen: The Conservative Case that Trump Lost and Biden Won the 2020 Presidential Election"
The authors include big-name conservative former federal judges Michael Luttig and Michael McConnell, former Bush Solicitor General Ted Olson, and others.
More on the National Constitution Center "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy" Project
Video of presentations by the leaders of the Conservative, Libertarian, and Progressive Teams. Plus, my thoughts on a comparison of the three reports by Progressive Team leader Ned Foley.
National Constitution Center Releases Reports on "Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy"
The project includes reports by conservative, libertarian, and progressive teams. I am coauthor of the Team Libertarian report.
Can the January 6 Committee Hearings Break Through the Barriers of Political Ignorance and Bias Underpinning the Big Lie?
Most of those open to evidence already know that Trump tried to reverse the outcome of an election he legitimately lost. Reaching the rest is likely to be extremely difficult, at best.
Bryan Caplan on "Misinformation About Misinformation"
One of the world's leading experts on public knowledge and ignorance explains why consumers of misinformation are often as much to blame as producers.
Consistent Paternalists Should Back Restrictions on Voters, Too
In an important new article, political philosophers Jason Brennan and Christopher Freiman explain why standard justifications for paternalistic restrictions on consumers also apply to voters.
The Demand for Political Misinformation is a Bigger Danger than the Supply
Harvard Law Professor Guy-Uriel Charles has some useful insights on the problem.
Are Public Ignorance and Misinformation Getting Worse?
The answer, as Tyler Cowen and Matthew Yglesias, argue, is probably not. But political ignorance is still a serious problem.
January 6 and the Problem of Political Ignorance
Ignorance and bias played a major role in the attack on the Capitol and in the continuing belief of many Republicans that Biden didn't really win the 2020 election. The issue is part of the broader problem of political ignorance and bias, which is by no means confined to any one side of the political spectrum.
Anthony Downs, RIP
One of the greatest political economists of the 20th century passed away earlier this month.
Does the Supreme Court's Declining Popularity Matter?
It could make the Court more vulnerable to political attack and to measures such as court-packing. But the vulnerability might not be great - or last long.
My National Affairs Article on "Voting With Our Feet"
The article explains how expanding opportunities for foot voting can enhance political choice, help the poor and disadvantaged, and reduce the dangers of political polarization.
Trolls Will Be Trolls, Online and Offline, Reports New Study
Being jerks is just the way some people try to make themselves feel dominant.
Derek Chauvin Jury Selection Process Highlights Need to Stop Dumbing Down Juries
The system routinely excludes not only those who might be familiar with a given case, but also those who have relevant background knowledge that might improve the quality of jury deliberations.
Biden Administration Revokes Trump Changes to Citizenship Test for Immigrants
The previous administration had made some reasonable changes, but also introduced questions based on factual errors and questionable normative assumptions smuggled in under the guise of factual knowledge.
Rights and Wrongs of the Trump Administration's Revised Citizenship Test
Some of the changes are reasonable. But many of the new questions are badly designed and incorporate serious errors. Moreover, such tests raise the deeper issue of why immigrants are required to pass a test to get the right to vote, but natives are not.
Perils of Trump's Conspiracy-Mongering About the Election
His promotion of far-fetched conspiracy theories about the election is highly unlikely to change the results. But it is damaging, nonetheless.
Is there a Moral Duty to Vote in an Election Where the Stakes are Unusually High?
There could be in some situations. But less often than many assume. And, ironically, the same reasoning suggests many people would have a duty NOT to vote in such cases.