Ep. 142 Explaining John Nash’s Dissertation and Why Russell Crowe Got It Backwards
In the Ron Howard movie “A Beautiful Mind,” Russell Crowe plays John Nash, a major figure in game theory. Although it was a good movie, it totally misconstrues Nash’s doctoral dissertation and how it fit into the pre-existing literature. In this episode, Bob sets the record straight. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of…
Ep. 141 Dan Sanchez on How to Make Superman Movies Great Again
DC execs think Superman is “too perfect” to resonate with modern audiences, but Dan Sanchez profoundly disagrees. He and Bob discuss this issue and other topics in the intersection of politics & superhero movies. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Dan Sanchez’s FEE article. Bob’s previous interview with Dan on the Joker. The…
Ep. 140 The Theory and Brief History of the U.S. Gold Standard
Bob explains some of the highlights of his newly released chapter for the Mises Institute book on “Understanding Money Mechanics.” He explains the operation of the classical gold standard, as well as some of the issues of U.S. bimetallism during the 1800s. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Bob’s new essay on the…
Ep. 139 George Reisman on Studying With Mises, Meeting Ayn Rand, and His Contributions to Economic Theory
George Reisman is economics professor emeritus at Pepperdine University. He is one of the few people to get his PhD under Mises. After sharing anecdotes about Mises and Rand, he discusses his contributions to economic theory. In particular, George argues that profits, not wages, are the original form of income. Mentioned in the Episode and Other…
Ep. 138 Why the Left Hates Christianity
Bob first observes that the Left (institutionally) hates Christianity, and that standard explanations, such as its alleged bigotry, don’t explain why the Left gives Islam a pass. Christianity stands in the way of the Leftist agenda. Moreover, if the Devil exists, he would favor not just the “false religion” of environmentalism and Marxism, but also…