My Interview on Raquel Okyay's Podcast March 30

Raquel Okyay had me on her podcast, Rocky and the Gonz, on March 30  . I enter about one-half hour in. It was fun. 

University Scientism and American Totalitarianism

Is there a difference between (a) the American pragmatic political approach, a cornerstone of the claim of American exceptionalism, and (b) mere political caprice in the management of the economy and society such as characterized the fascist and national socialist economic policies? Academic research, especially in the fields of economics, sociology, and psychology, supposedly contributes to the public policy making process, differentiating the American third way from the fascist third way by making it rational.

But what if American pragmatism is based on a sham? What if social science is but scientism? Then, American economic and social policy is guided and influenced by the moral whimsies of social scientists whose moral sense has been addled in part by scientistic training, in part by careerist opportunism, and in part by political pandering. In that case, social science higher education can be viewed as any other propaganda device.  Perhaps American pragmatism and American exceptionalism are equivalent to any other authoritarian or totalitarian form.

"University Scientism and American Economic Interests"

My paper "University Scientism and American Economic Interests" iust went online on Peerus in the UK-based journal Industry and Higher Education.  The summary reads:

This article outlines the evolution of the relationship between the emergence of large-scale finance and industry in the American Gilded Age and Progressive eras and the shaping and funding of universities by foundations linked to the emerging industries. Scientism has been a means of gaining and maintaining legitimacy and research funding. Statistics about recent donations reflect the earlier pattern, although the strongly elitist preferences of early funders and shapers of American higher education, such as the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Rockefeller-Funded General Education Board, have moderated.  See  http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0950422218765664

Reinvigorating the Contract Clause

George Leef has a great piece in Forbes this week on the effect of erosion of the contract clause on individual liberty. George discusses a case that will soon come before the Supreme Court, Sveen v. Melin, in which a husband who had divorced his wife but wanted to keep her as his life insurance beneficiary died. The state of Minnesota had declared that spousal beneficiary designations are to be revoked upon divorce, so the state has deprived his wife and their children of insurance money. The capriciousness of state and federal law undermines the ability to do business. The current judicial rule given to courts is vague and expansive, and since the New Deal courts have served as a rubber stamp to every dictatorial decision big-government advocates favor. Although I gag every time I think about President Trump's tariff decision, this kind of case is a reason to continue to support the Republican Party. It's hard, though.