Business and Society

July 12, 2019

Rene Girard on the responsible use of language

Those of us who deal with ideas can often throw words around without being sufficiently careful about their meaning or attentive to their impact. We can be tempted to use terms to make a splash or win an argument at the expense of complexity. Continue Reading...

June 28, 2019

Economics and the social nature of the person

At the center of the economy are human persons. Economics must first be a human discipline before it can be a technical one. One of the essential characteristics of the human person is that we are social beings. Continue Reading...

June 26, 2019

Nisbet and Dalrymple on community, authority, function and tattoos

In his must-read book, The Quest for Community, Robert Nisbet discusses the relationship of community and authority. Communities provide human connection and sense of belonging, but they also come with limitations. Continue Reading...

June 17, 2019

Business is bad. Can it also be good?

There are many reasons to critique business these days. From crony capitalist practices to surveillance capitalism and data collection, from abuse of the environment for short term profits to siding with the fashionable for short term praise at the expense of religious freedom and long term cultural health. Continue Reading...

April 12, 2019

Does capitalism always become crony?

Mark Zuckerberg has finally admitted he needs help. From the government. After years of shady dealing, data collection, and intentionally designing addictive technologies, Zuckerberg has asked the government to regulate tech. Continue Reading...

April 03, 2019

AOC and the New Eugenics

Here is a piece I wrote for the Stream on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her comments on climate change and whether “it is still ok to have children.” When an American politician asks if it is still okay to have children, this is something to notice. Continue Reading...

March 22, 2019

Emerging tech trends

NYU Stern professor Amy Webb gave her annual Emerging Tech Trends this week at the South by Southwest conference. (Hat tip to Dan Churchwell for the recommendation.) She highlighted a number of trends from food grown in warehouses and 4D printing to genome editing. Continue Reading...

February 26, 2019

Google and surveillance capitalism

Business Insider reported last week that Google failed to disclose the existence of a microphone in their home security system, NestSecure. This came as a surprise to many Nest customers who complained that they were not informed that the security system even had a microphone. Continue Reading...

February 13, 2019

Are tariffs the best tool to solve economic and social problems of globalization?

President Trump said in a press conference Tuesday that he may postpone the March 1st deadline for the extension of tariffs on Chinese goods as US trade representatives are in China working on a trade agreement. Continue Reading...

August 16, 2018

Sen. Elizabeth Warren brings government muscle to corporate ‘accountability’

It was in Godfather III where Al Pacino as Michael Corleone said it first and said it best: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” Before we were able to put away our party hats after celebrating the Supreme Court’s Janus decision in June, Missouri rejected a right-to-work measure at the state’s primary ballot box last week. Continue Reading...

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