There is a lot of debate over the minimum wage. An internet search of the topic will return with almost unanimous condemnation of it. It is blamed for unreasonably pushing wages too high and causing unemployment. It is decried as a major cause of economic problems rather than the solution. However, these arguments are based upon over simplified ideas and graphs. Now, most of them look nice and are easy to understand, but they should be judged on how well they describe the real world. The simple fact is they don’t really. The main argument is that if a workers marginal productivity is 5 euro, they cannot be paid 6 euro. Now this presumes that the boss knows what the … Continue reading “The Advantage Of The Minimum Wage”
How Rich Countries Got Rich . . . And Why Poor Countries Stay Poor
I have just finished reading How Rich Countries Got Rich . . . And Why Poor Countries Stay Poor by Erik Reinert. The book is interesting for it engages what should be the main question of economics, why are some countries rich and other countries poor? This crucial question is woefully under researched and barely discussed in mainstream economics. I have completed two years of economics study in university without yet having heard an explanation for this phenomenon. Reinert’s main argument is that the wealth of a nation is based upon the economic activities it specialises in. Poor countries are poor because they specialise in agriculture and the production of raw materials. This is an economic dead end as it … Continue reading “How Rich Countries Got Rich . . . And Why Poor Countries Stay Poor”
Religion As A Cause Of War In Ireland
In my last post I argued that religion was a major cause of war. Now I want to discuss this in an Irish context. In fact the history of Ireland is basically the history of Protestants and Catholics warring among each other. There are numerous incidents where Catholics or Protestants were killed solely because of their religion. There is a serious problem in separating actions based on religion from those based on nationality. In fact Daniel O’Connell went as far as to claim that being Catholic and being Irish was the one thing. This presents a serious problem in decoding conflict and classifying them as nationalist or religious wars. Some even argue that class was the driving force, with the … Continue reading “Religion As A Cause Of War In Ireland”
Religion As A Cause Of War
I would argue that a major cause of most (but not all) wars is religion. Religion divides people into separate groups and tells them that they are incompatible with each other. It provides justification for the killing of others and the promise of reward for martyrs. There are numerous examples of religious wars. Some of the main ones include the Crusades, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, The War On Terror, The Thirty Year War, Northern Ireland and the numerous religious wars of England and France (which culminated in the Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre). A frequent justification for the British, French, Spanish, Portuguese etc, (which led to horrendous massacres) empires was so that the natives could be converted to Christianity. Religions claim they … Continue reading “Religion As A Cause Of War”
Stalin, Atheism And Communism
It has been often claimed that atheism leads to death of millions of people. Some argue that we need only look at the rule of Stalin or Mao or Pol Pot to see what happens when religion is removed from society. However, this is missing the point. They killed people because they were paranoid dictators. They lack of religious beliefs is irrelevant. In fact most of the victims died because their economic policies led to famines and mass starvations. This is an indictment of Communism, not atheism. It is estimated that Stalin is responsible for the deaths of 43 million people and the Soviet Union as a whole for 63 million. If you break down these numbers, you see 8 … Continue reading “Stalin, Atheism And Communism”
Why Did God Not Stop The Holocaust?
Last month I visited Auschwitz and it left a strong impression on me. I was shocked at the brutality of it. The mass slaughter that went on there revolted me. It was disturbing to know that it could go on for so long without anyone stopping it. Why did God not stop it? Over six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Most of them probably prayed to God asking him to save their lives. Why did he refuse? Think about it. Think long and hard. Think of the gas chambers. Think of how the Jews were led in there. Think of when they realised they weren’t showers. When they realised they were going to die. Think about how they … Continue reading “Why Did God Not Stop The Holocaust?”