Bryan Caplan

GMU econ prof, NYT bestseller, father of 4, author of Myth of the Rational Voter, Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids, Case Against Education, Open Borders, & BBB

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Buy my new *You Have No Right to Your Culture*, now on sale!

Order here: https://t.co/FxHtEafNlp

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

I met Victor Niederhoffer several times and spoke once for his Junto meet-up. A great guy. https://t.co/afQmffK9Vz

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

People are almost always correct to doubt the "good faith" of their political opponents.

Their big mistake is to imagine that their allies have good faith.

And their deepest mistake is to imagine that they personally have good faith.

[Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias]

The good news for moderates is that there is an idea on the table that is a dramatic departure from the status quo but also would solve the #1 economic problem facing young people a thousand times better than socialism.

But you need to seize the chance.

https://t.co/iDXJTcWMK0

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Another big failure of Game of Thrones:

Bran and Arya started out as lively and relatable characters. By Season 8, both of them were robots.

"Human to robot" is a dull character arc, and you certainly don't need to have two such arcs.

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Alternately, ask questions that probe the depth of commitment. "Are you for or against free trade?" is much less informative than:

"Do you support free trade even if some Americans lose their jobs?"
or
"Do you support free trade even if some U.S. industries disappear?"
(3/3)

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Though I'm writing a book-length defense of free trade, I deeply doubt recent surveys showing high public support for "free trade."

It's not just an anti-Trump effect, it's a long-standing question-wording effect. (1/3)

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Asking "Are you for or against free trade" is like asking "Are you for or against abortion?"

It's better to ask:

"Are you for free trade or fair trade?" which is a lot like "Are you pro-choice or pro-life?"
(2/3)

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Almost everyone favors restricting immigration, so I think most immigration restrictionists are conformist rather than bad.

But people who are *passionate* about immigration restriction are usually quite bad.

It's not racism so much as sheer misanthropy.

[Richard Hanania @RichardHanania]

I don't know if all immigration restrictionists are bad people, but it's certainly the case for those who complain about skilled migration like H1B visas.

This is because there are no arguments for their position other than racism.

Well, socialism gets you there too, hence Sanders also being skeptical of immigration.

But those who aren't socialists and become selective socialists in this situation are just full of hate. https://t.co/R9zhv7KI33

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Sorry, Nolan's only truly great movies are *Memento* and *Following*. https://t.co/8IKrE7DM2B

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Kubrick 7/7.

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

"Imagine someone tells you, 'I stopped being a libertarian because I realized the sky is blue.' Your reaction shouldn’t be, 'Wow, libertarians are a bunch of fools.' Your reaction should be, 'The speaker is a fool.'" https://t.co/JQaxebkwhb

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

"To admit that you’ve spent years mired in elementary errors is to admit that the world is right to spend years ignoring you. Instead of trying to regain the limelight, accept that you need to rebuild your intellectual credibility brick by boring brick."
https://t.co/JQaxebkwhb

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

"Yes, culture does matter, and it’s better to concede this fact than deny it. However, the fact that a person until recently denied this obvious truth remains deeply damning." https://t.co/JQaxebkwhb

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

You personally know more anti-immigration people than I do, so I'm not surprised you've found a few exceptions.

But I've met plenty!

[Richard Hanania @RichardHanania]

I don’t know about 100%, but there’s definitely a strong correlation between being unpleasant and centering your identity on excluding people because of how they look or where they’re from.

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Being anti-immigration is a license to broadcast your high Neuroticism to the world.

But rest assured, you will still be angry, anxious, depressed, and generally paranoid even in your utopian ethnic-state.

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

Literally 100% of anti-immigration people I personally know are unpleasant to be around.

Avoiding the topic doesn't work, because they keep bringing it up.

0% of the immigrants I personally know are unpleasant to be around.

Exception: Anti-immigration immigrants.

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

The case for "Ward Paternalism."
https://t.co/1VYv9fep4s

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

"'Leave me alone, I don’t want your help' has great force. 'Help me, but don’t presume to tell me how to live my life' has little." https://t.co/1VYv9fep4s

[Bryan Caplan @bryan_caplan]

"Notice that there are already over ten million construction workers in America. That’s only modestly below the nation’s total manufacturing employment!"
https://t.co/7LTNKxfNG3