Cato Institute scholar Brink Lindsay explains the history of globaliation over the last century in Against the Dead Hand: The Uncertain Struggle for Global Capitalism.#

Globalization: it's earlier than you think. That's the provocative message of Against the Dead Hand, which traces the rise and fall of the century-long dream of central planning and top-down control and its impact on globalization-revealing the extent to which the "dead hand" of the old collectivist dream still shapes the contours of today's world economy. Mixing historical narrative, thought-provoking arguments, and on-the-scene reporting and interviews, Brink Lindsey shows how the economy has grown up amidst the wreckage of the old regime-detailing how that wreckage constrains the present and obscures the future. He conveys a clearer picture of globalization's current state than the current conventional wisdom, providing a framework for anticipating the future direction of the world economy.

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I thought that this book was a very good history and pro-globalization book. However, having read extensively on this issue, for me there was little new to it, except for some of the particular examples. The case is very well argued and the experts and examples of often of the "reluctant" variety.#

I would like to point out a few clever moments that caught my eye.#

One of the early chapters is about how the pre-World War I globalization was much more widespread and advanced than the current. It discusses the transitions from this environment to the wars and the post-war period. Contained is this gem:#

Militaristic metaphors were by no means confined to totalitarian movements. [... FDR quote ...]

In a similar vein, General Hugh Johnson urged citizens to do their patriotic duty and patronize only those business that displayed the NRA Blue Eagle, claiming, "Those who are not with us are against us.... The way to show that you are part of this great army of the New Deal is to insist on this symbol of solidarity." [p. 78-79]

In one of the later chapters, he comments on the anti-globalization movement of today, with particular emphasize on the protests in Seattle of 1999, because he sees them as the maximum height of the movement before it petered off. This quote from the leader of a developing country is priceless:#

Most developing-country leaders therefore view the protesters, not as benefactors, but as threats to their people's welfare. According to Mexico's former president Ernesto Zedillo, the aim of the protests is "to save the people of developing countries from ... development." And during the Seattle riots, a junior diplomat from Gabon, who was blocked by crowds from entering the WTO meeting, remarked contemptuously: "They understanding nothing, and are as remote from our problems as you'd expect from middle-class whites in Washington state." [p. 249]

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Of the books I have read, Against the Dead Hand is a great introduction and overview, while David S. Landes' The Wealth and Poverty of Nations provides a great history and Johan Norberg's In Defense of Global Capitalism provides fine fact fodder for any debating needs.#

Aaron Swartz writes about Philip Zimbardo's work on the psychology of evil.#

Zimbardo put together all that he had learned into one experiment, the Stanford Prison Experiment, to see how far things could go. Volunteer subjects were recruited and half assigned to be prisoners and half assigned to be guards so that there would be no differences between the two groups. The prisoners were arrested at their home and taken to recently-redecorated basement of the Stanford Psychology department, where they were imprisoned.

There were no windows, so prisoners could not gauge time. Prisoners were strip-searched and forced to wear dress-like clothes. They were given leg shackles, a constant reminder of their status. Guards were given uniforms and mirror sunglasses (so no one could read their emotions) as well as minimal requirements or training.

Michael Williams gets an interesting response from a post.#

One of features of the blogging is that it's easy to pretend that nothing you write really matters. It's easy to approach every situation from an aloof, unemotional vantage point that assumes all your readers will be detached as well -- or at least not intimately involved with the topic at hand. That's not always the case, however, as two comments to my earlier post about Gordie Bailey illustrate. I wrote that Mr. Bailey, a Colorado University freshman who died from alcohol poisoning, was responsible for his own death because he was an adult who freely chose to engage in harmful activities to impress his friends. I never really considered that anyone involved in the event could come across my post, but I recently received two comments, one from one of Mr. Bailey's best friends and one from his step-father.

Any damn thing can happen.#

Escher for real#