At the recent Freedom Fest conference in Las Vegas, Reason magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch sat down with Tyler Cowen, the prolific George Mason University economics professor, popular blogger, New York Times columnist, and author of the brand new Create Your Own Economy: The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World.
Cowen is one of the country's foremost explainers of how free markets and international exchange produce much of what we enjoy about modern life, and his latest work continues exploring the theme. "In broadest terms," he says, "I view this as a book about the power of the individual, the importance of individual liberty, and how we can all create our own liberties essentially by using the web and the information economy to create streams of meaning."
Cowen talks about how society is becoming more autistic ("this is a good thing!"), how everyday people can be happier than Bill Gates, and how the "economy of attention" differs from that of pure dollars and cents. He also has sharply critical words for how a Democratic Washington is handling economic policy: "On fiscal policy we are absolutely heading off a cliff."
The video clocks in at just over 8 minutes. Shot and edited by Dan Hayes.
Go here for embed code, iPod, HD, and audio versions.
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|7.28.09 @ 3:35PM|#
how we can all create our own liberties essentially by using the web and the information economy to create streams of meaning.
Hmm. If he means expanding civil society, fine, I guess, but I am suspicious of the idea that ground (permanently) lost to the Total State can be made up, and then some, by "creating streams of meaning".
jtuf|7.28.09 @ 3:59PM|#
I whole heartedly support neurological diversity. Humans never evolved a single "correct" nose shape or skin tone. Why expect our brains to fit into a single pattern?
|7.28.09 @ 4:16PM|#
Cowen's famous quote:
Tyler on Paulson
"Paulson Plan was better than nothing"
This was on October 1st...this was one of those times when the establishment was 100% in "bipartisian" support of a plan that was 100% stupid...like the Iraq war buildup, "only anti-american turrist" could be against the bailout/war/welfare state.
At this critical juncture, Cowen stood atop his high perch at the NYTimes and sucked ass to his masters.
After gracefully servicing Government Sachs and wiping the jizz from his face he went back to his normal restaurant reviews and now he is complaining that fiscal policy is bad....ya it is a little late.
|7.28.09 @ 4:18PM|#
Don't worry about freedom, just plug into this pod and lots of wholesome goodness and streams of meaning will be sent directly to your brain. Just sign here to eliminate your reproductive rights etc and we will take care of everything else.
Ratdog|7.28.09 @ 4:30PM|#
It's going to be interesting to see how long the internet remains relatively free and accessible now that it's usefulness to Democrats is very likely far less important than when they were seeking to regain control. It would seem the internet is one place where we still can freely exchange ideas, and I realize Democrats are the great defenders of free speech and would never allow operations like Carnivore (later called DCS1000, hmm, sounds innocent, maybe the NSA has a Sony digital camera) or Omnivore under their watch, so hopefully Obama will be true to his pledge and not increase the tax burden on those making under $250K a year by taxing the internet as the regime before his did with tobacco (surely Jesus jumps for joy every time a "sin" tax is created or increased, knowing how tempting it is to turn water into booze and all). Well, at least we can all take comfort in the fact that we all demanded the expensive socialist programs we so badly needed, so if taxing the internet out of reach of the common man becomes necessary it will have nothing to do curbing the free speech of commoners discontent over policies but merely a way to pay for what we all so enthusiastically demanded.
|7.28.09 @ 5:30PM|#
It's funny Tyler mentions autism. He seems to me to have a little bit of Asperger's Syndrome, the junior version of autism, and often collects information about different countries and ways of doing things on his blog. I definitely thing he's more interesting in print than on video or real life.
Not that I'm not impressed by him -- he's a tremendous thinker and I'm glad to hear that he's starting to freak out about Obama's crazy fiscal policies.
|7.28.09 @ 10:57PM|#
Agreed, TC's definitely not meant for video. Next to him, Matt looks like a GQ Magazine cover. But Marginal Revolution has some great ammunition plus TC thinks paying women for sex is the moral thing to do. Yay Tyler!
THE BORG|7.29.09 @ 12:48AM|#
jtuf | July 28, 2009, 3:59pm | #
I whole heartedly support neurological diversity.
This one must be assimilated quickly
Gabriel|7.29.09 @ 3:07PM|#
Tim,
Tyler says he is a self-diagnosed Asperger's on the first page of the book.
|7.30.09 @ 9:18AM|#
Thanks reason, after viewing that video, I understand why T. Cowen's website, Marginal Revolution get's so many of those wacky Lie*bertarians all riled up. Tyler is all about individual rights and freedoms except when he is NOT...as proven by his support of Gov't tax payer thief last October. Will tyler ever recover his credibility, assuming this support of Big Bailout is true?