Showing posts with label Populism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Populism. Show all posts

Monday, January 13, 2025

Tariffs, Populism, And Economic Nationalism

"Skeptoid's wheelhouse is science vs. pseudoscience, so some of you might be asking why are we talking about an issue of political policy? We're not. We're talking about a question rooted in science: economics. Economics is very much a science, though there's always debate on whether it's a hard science or a soft science. It's generally considered a soft science, because it studies human behavior and societal interactions, which are harder to quantify and control compared to, for example, chemistry. Some argue that economics should still be considered a hard science due to its heavy dependence on mathematics, including calculus, statistics, probability, game theory, differential equations, and so on. However, these remain difficult to apply; you can mathematically develop all the predictive theories you want, but they're really hard to test by observing human behavior. And so today we are going to look at some hard examples of economic nationalism having been tried in three famous recent cases. Was it a bounty for their economies, or a bust?"

Click on the link below for the details:


Monday, January 9, 2023

This Would Not Happen If All Were Science-Based Thinkers

"Since the mid-2010s, the rise of the populist left and the populist right has shaken up the American political spectrum. Both movements have maneuvered to pressure and persuade the political establishment to adopt their objectives. But in recent years something unusual has been happening. We’re seeing the formation of a pipeline that circumvents the center altogether — and directly connects left-wing to right-wing populism.

"A group of journalists and media personalities who once were at home on the far left has formed a niche but influential political subculture that encourages leftists to abandon leftism for the populist right. Its most recognizable faces are former icons of leftist discourse who have millions of diehard fans: Glenn Greenwald, a co-founder of The Intercept, known as one of the most powerful critics of the “war on terror” in the Bush era. Matt Taibbi, a former Rolling Stone writer, who was famous for excoriating defenders of neoliberalism and likening Goldman Sachs to a “great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity.” Tulsi Gabbard, formerly a Democratic House member and 2020 presidential candidate, was aligned with the Bernie Sanders wing of the party.


"But in recent years their focus has changed. These commentators had never hesitated to criticize Democrats alongside Republicans. But now they've pivoted to targeting liberals nearly exclusively, while forming ties with the authoritarian right."

Click on the link below for the full story. This would not be happening on the liberal side if all where science-based thinkers:

How the populist left has become vulnerable to the populist right

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Choose how you look at reality wisely. Yes, it is a binary choice.

Choose how you look at reality wisely. Yes, it is a binary choice.
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SCIENCE JUSTIFIES ITSELF

SCIENCE JUSTIFIES ITSELF
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