David Friedman’s Substack

David Friedman's Substack explores a wide range of subjects from economic principles and climate change to intellectual debates and law enforcement, emphasizing critical thinking, skepticism towards mainstream narratives, and the interplay of natural and social sciences in understanding human behavior and societal issues.

Critical Thinking and Truth Seeking Political and Economic Theories Science and Climate Change Legal and Ethical Considerations Societal and Cultural Analysis Philosophy and Morality Education and Learning Methods Technology and Society

The hottest Substack posts of David Friedman’s Substack

And their main takeaways

What the Tea Party Gets Wrong

0 implied HN points • 10 Aug 11
  1. The way a government subsidy is labeled might not reflect its true nature and impact.
  2. Some federal expenditures are disguised as tax cuts, leading to misunderstandings.
  3. Tea Party Republicans may have overlooked certain expenditures disguised as tax cuts, impacting their stance on reducing federal spending.

Austrian Fantasy

0 implied HN points • 26 Jul 11
  1. Based on Amazon sales rankings, Milton Friedman's books have higher sales than Murray Rothbard's books.
  2. Online interest and searches for Milton Friedman are significantly higher than for Murray Rothbard.
  3. The claim that Milton Friedman is almost a nobody outside of mainstream academic economics is not supported by data.

Two cheers for the Huffington Post

0 implied HN points • 23 Jul 11
  1. Huffington Post published articles that contradicted their usual political bias, showing journalistic integrity.
  2. The author found examples of the Huffington Post providing more accurate information than expected, helping to dissolve political disagreements.
  3. It can be beneficial to have news sources that present information honestly, even if they are ideologically oriented.

Is Plagiarism Becoming Obsolete?

0 implied HN points • 21 Feb 11
  1. The internet and search engines can help reduce plagiarism by making it easier to detect.
  2. As technology improves, plagiarism may become less tempting as it becomes easier to track and verify sources.
  3. In a future where every line can be quickly checked for its source, traditional plagiarism norms may fade away.

Moynihan on O'Donnell

0 implied HN points • 17 Sep 10
  1. Michael Moynihan criticized Christine O'Donnell but misattributed quotes to her.
  2. Christine O'Donnell made exaggerated and incorrect statements about scientific facts.
  3. Evidence against O'Donnell included believing in political wiretapping and prioritizing TV contracts over winning elections.
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Assuming Your Conclusions

0 implied HN points • 02 Sep 10
  1. The author discusses how assumptions can influence conclusions.
  2. The piece highlights a specific example of implicit assumptions in economic analysis.
  3. Different interpretations of economic theories can lead to contrasting conclusions.

Children and Make Believe

0 implied HN points • 17 Jun 10
  1. Children engage in make believe play as a way of understanding the world around them.
  2. Adults should help children differentiate between make believe and reality to prepare them for the real world.
  3. Encouraging children to play fair in games helps them learn important life skills and attitudes.

Interesting Electoral Doings in Northern New York

0 implied HN points • 04 Nov 09
  1. In a unique New York congressional race, a Republican candidate withdrew and supported a Democrat after losing support from conservative Republicans.
  2. The incident raises questions about the impact on Republican party politics and how different factions view candidate support.
  3. The candidate's withdrawal may have inadvertently helped the remaining Republican candidate by avoiding a split of the Republican vote.

Android Update

0 implied HN points • 28 Oct 09
  1. The latest Android phone, the Motorola Droid, has a larger screen and a slightly better keyboard.
  2. Support for an external bluetooth keyboard on the Droid is currently not available in the Android software, but developers are working on it.
  3. There is a potential software product idea for smartphone OCR, converting text from images taken with the phone's camera into text.

Did Carl Sagan Libel Christiaan Huygens?

0 implied HN points • 22 Sep 09
  1. Carl Sagan made a curious argument about Jupiter having hemp based on moons, implying mariners and ropes.
  2. After examining Christiaan Huygens' work, there was no evidence to support Sagan's story.
  3. Three possibilities considered: missing passage, Huygens' rejected theory, or Sagan's story is false.

Two Great Depressions

0 implied HN points • 24 May 09
  1. During the Great Depression, federal expenditure increased every year, showing the need for accurate historical data in economic analysis.
  2. Comparing the handling of economic crises in different time periods, like the 1920-1921 recession that was handled effectively, provides valuable insights.
  3. The success of economic policies cannot be solely evaluated based on eventual recovery; different approaches can lead to varying outcomes in crisis management.

Auto Accidents, AIDS, Contraception and the Pope

0 implied HN points • 14 Apr 09
  1. Improving safety features in cars may reduce deaths per accident but increase the number of accidents.
  2. Making sex safer through means like condoms can lower the risk of AIDS transmission but might also reduce motivation to avoid risky sexual behavior.
  3. Unreliable contraception methods like the rhythm method can be effective for controlling the number of children in a marriage, but may not be suitable for preventing pregnancies in casual sexual relationships.

$70/hour Auto Workers

0 implied HN points • 22 Dec 08
  1. Auto workers' labor costs are not just hourly wages, but also include pensions and benefits.
  2. Calculating labor costs accurately involves estimating future costs for pensions and medical benefits.
  3. Estimating the true cost per hour of employing auto workers is complex and requires considering various factors.

Executive Compensation and the Economics of Insurance

0 implied HN points • 01 Dec 08
  1. Legal rules allocate risk and the economics of insurance are complex.
  2. Insurance impacts risk incentives and can lead to moral hazard.
  3. Executive compensation can be structured to align interests with shareholders and reduce adverse selection.

Oil, Speculators, and Inventories

0 implied HN points • 30 Sep 08
  1. Blaming price changes on speculators is common whenever something like oil price increases happen.
  2. Speculators can affect prices by buying and storing goods, or by selling goods from their inventory.
  3. Speculation by oil producers leaving oil in the ground today to sell later might be influencing current high prices.

The Current Financial Mess

0 implied HN points • 26 Sep 08
  1. Fannie Mae was initially established by the federal government to aid in making mortgages more accessible in order to promote home ownership.
  2. As housing prices dropped and mortgages defaulted, Fannie Mae struggled to fulfill its guarantees, leading to a financial crisis.
  3. The situation highlighted the dangers of firms relying on government bailouts and the perception of being 'too big to fail'.

My Talk at Google

0 implied HN points • 05 Sep 08
  1. David Friedman gave a talk at Google on _Future Imperfect_
  2. The video of the talk is now available online
  3. The talk was given at Google a few days ago

Two Paths for the Libertarian Party

0 implied HN points • 17 Aug 08
  1. The Libertarian Party consists of hard core and moderate libertarians.
  2. The current LP presidential candidate, Bob Barr, leans more towards moderate libertarian views.
  3. The LP is facing a strategic choice of targeting more votes or pushing for stronger libertarian principles.

What Law Schools Should Tell Applicants

0 implied HN points • 04 May 08
  1. Law schools should provide bar passage rates based on LSAT scores to help applicants make informed decisions.
  2. Bar passage rates can vary based on the quality of students admitted to the school, not just the quality of education provided.
  3. Publishing bar passage rates by LSAT score groups could reveal differences in how well schools prepare students with different academic backgrounds.

The Jury Nullification Problem

0 implied HN points • 30 Apr 08
  1. Moral beliefs can conflict with the law, posing a dilemma for jurors.
  2. Announcing personal views on an issue may impact jury selection.
  3. True statements can have dangerous consequences when combined with untrue beliefs.

Adam Smith on Laptops in the Classroom

0 implied HN points • 23 Jan 08
  1. Professors have mixed views on students using laptops in classrooms for notes and research but are concerned about distractions.
  2. Allowing laptops in class linked to the old debate of compulsory attendance, as technology offers more convenient ways to be present but mentally elsewhere.
  3. Adam Smith's view is that attendance is willingly given for engaging lectures, only needing force for younger students, as demonstrated by a colleague.

All Colleges ...

0 implied HN points • 25 Sep 07
  1. Liberal arts colleges in America are generally safe for students.
  2. Students at liberal arts colleges are not competitive about grades.
  3. Professors at liberal arts colleges are accessible and do the teaching.

Cell Phones, Mythbusters, and Selective Perception

0 implied HN points • 14 Apr 07
  1. Mythbusters found that some cell phone signals could affect electronic equipment in an airplane.
  2. Mythbusters also found that a cell phone had no effect on an airplane's electronics.
  3. People tend to remember information that fits their existing beliefs and prejudices.

Subjective Age

0 implied HN points • 06 Apr 07
  1. Observing reactions to different age groups can reveal insights about subjective age.
  2. Self image can be influenced by weighted averages of past experiences.
  3. Social interactions with certain age groups may impact one's subjective perception of age.

Academic Tabu

0 implied HN points • 13 Nov 06
  1. Academic discussion in America shows gaps in black-white test scores that change over time.
  2. Authors explore explanations for academic gaps, but do not consider innate racial differences as a possibility.
  3. Courage in academic discussions is required to challenge societal beliefs and prejudices.

The Death of Copyright, New Art Forms, and World of Warcraft

0 implied HN points • 30 May 06
  1. Creators of intellectual property can get paid through legal control, technological control, or uncontrolled access
  2. Technological protection for intellectual property only works if it's not fully revealed in one use
  3. Games like World of Warcraft could be seen as new art forms and substitutes for conventional movies

The Case for Unschooling

0 implied HN points • 03 Feb 06
  1. Education should focus on a short list of essential skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic.
  2. The traditional schooling model can lead to boredom, disengagement, and lack of critical thinking.
  3. Unschooling allows children to learn what interests them, fostering a love for learning and critical thinking.

My Critique of Internal Consistency in Novik's Scholomance Books

0 implied HN points • 23 Jan 23
  1. Inconsistencies found in world building details of Novik's Scholomance books, like the gym size not matching student numbers.
  2. Survival rates imply wizard population maintenance would require more children per family than observed in the books.
  3. Critique argues that the need to protect the cleansing machinery in the story may not be as dire as portrayed for the plot.

Amazon has Restored my Account

0 implied HN points • 22 Jan 23
  1. Amazon restored the user's account in less than a week.
  2. The message provided no explanation or apology.
  3. The implication was that the user might have done something wrong.

Wanted: Criticism

0 implied HN points • 13 Jan 23
  1. The author is critiquing a recent _Nature_ article about the social cost of carbon, claiming it greatly exaggerates the cost.
  2. The critique implies that estimating the costs of climate change is flawed and lacks proper review mechanisms.
  3. The author is inviting anyone interested, especially those who accept current beliefs on climate change, to review the critique and provide feedback, even preferring hostile reviewers.

My Next Europe Trip

0 implied HN points • 11 Jan 23
  1. Planning to attend SFL Libertycon in Lisbon on April 22nd and 23rd.
  2. Interested in setting up other talks in Europe during the trip.
  3. Limiting speaking trips to about two weeks, from April 10th to May 4th.

A Very Interesting Graph

0 implied HN points • 23 Oct 21
  1. Temperature and CO2 levels have shown interesting patterns over the past 350,000 years
  2. During the current interglacial period, both temperature and CO2 levels have been rising
  3. The increase in human activity, such as agriculture and forest clearing, could be a contributing factor to the rising CO2 levels and temperatures

Dave Smith's Response to Me

0 implied HN points • 24 Sep 22
  1. In an anarchocapitalist society, private communities could control who enters them.
  2. Government ownership of property allows control over immigration.
  3. Government restrictions based on majority opinion could impact various liberties.

Open Borders: The Libertarian Argument

0 implied HN points • 26 Jun 22
  1. The traditional libertarian position historically supports open borders.
  2. Arguments against open borders include concerns about involuntary interactions and potential issues with public resources.
  3. The debate around open borders involves discussions on property rights and government control.

Why Not Sell Single Shoes?

0 implied HN points • 22 May 22
  1. Selling single shoes could be beneficial for those with feet that are not perfectly symmetrical.
  2. Individual shoe sales could help address the issue of uneven wear and tear on shoes.
  3. Buying single shoes of different sizes could provide a more comfortable fit for people with different foot sizes.

Why Global Temperature Doesn’t Matter for Global Crop Yield

0 implied HN points • 11 Apr 22
  1. Global crop yield depends on temperature, with an optimal range for each crop.
  2. Shifting cultivation areas can help maintain temperature ranges for crop growth.
  3. Increased arable land due to temperature shifts may offset reduced yield from warming.

"What Does Economics Have to do with Law"

0 implied HN points • 05 Feb 22
  1. Economics and law are intertwined and connected.
  2. Understanding economics can provide valuable insights into legal matters.
  3. The relationship between economics and law is relevant and worth exploring.

A Project for Musk

0 implied HN points • 23 Dec 21
  1. A project for Musk could be a self-driving wheelchair for people with mobility issues.
  2. Developing a self-driving wheelchair may be easier than a self-driving car due to the simpler environment of a house.
  3. Creating a self-driving wheelchair could also boost confidence in Tesla's ability to tackle the more complex challenge of self-driving cars.

Vaccination: Two Arguments

0 implied HN points • 10 Dec 21
  1. Vaccination reduces the chance of catching and severity of Covid.
  2. Vaccination may not protect against the Omicron variant but does lower the risk of hospitalization and death.
  3. Requiring elderly to be vaccinated may help prevent hospital overcrowding, but universal vaccination may not be necessary.

Low Glycemic Bread

0 implied HN points • 27 Nov 21
  1. Low glycemic bread recipes claimed online weren't as good as ordinary bread.
  2. Combining sourdough, whole wheat flour, almond flour, and gluten can create better low glycemic bread.
  3. The recipe for low glycemic bread includes specific steps like folding the dough and ensuring raisins are inside to avoid burning.