"We will not solve social problems if we pretend that they are caused only - or even mostly - by the mad, the stupid, and the morally degenerate."
--From Tim Hartford's The Logic of Life, as quoted by Bryan Caplan.
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2 comments:
Its about time the sane, smart, good people of this world are called out for our social problems that we have.
I doubt that would be Hartford's conclusion. Instead, I believe he is speaking to the attitude of blame, in general. Blame doesn't solve problems and chalking people up as mad, stupid, and morally degenerate oversimplifies problems. Hartford is an economist which means he operates under the tacit assumption that people make rational choices bounded by constraints.
The quote comes from a chapter on prostitution in Mexico where he concludes that prostitutes increase their income by 25%, if they're willing to bargain about condom use. Hartford also concludes that, to a prostitute in Mexico, an additional year of good health (HIV/AIDS-free) is worth $25,000-$50,000. Given one is engaged in prostitution (which may be considered a morally degenerate choice), it is neither insane nor stupid to bargain about condom use. In fact, it's rational.
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