Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism, and the Future of the West
by R.R. Reno
Regnery Gateway, 2019
xviii + 182 pages

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War: How Conflict Shaped Us
by Margaret MacMillan
Random House, 2020
xxii + 312 pages

“Private property creates for the individual a sphere in which he is free of the state. It sets limits to the operation of the authoritarian will. It allows other forces to arise side by side with and in opposition to political power.” –Ludwig von Mises

In their book Phishing for Phools, Robert Shiller and George Akerlof introduce the idea of a “phish.” They argue that there are legitimate wants/needs and then there are things people don’t actually want but can’t help themselves around (i.e., addiction, present bias, etc.). Phishing is when companies tailor their products/advertising to the latter.

Most economists regard the use of mathematical and statistical methods as the key to understanding the complexities of economics. They are of the view that in order to be scientific, economics should follow in the footsteps of natural sciences.

By means of mathematical and statistical methods, an economist establishes relationships between various variables. For example, personal consumer outlays are related to personal disposable income and interest rates. Most economists present this relation as:

C = a*Yd – b*i,

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