Most people think of ethics in terms of what you should not do. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not harm. The entire moral framework we inherit from childhood is built around restraint. Be good by avoiding bad. Stay in your lane. Keep your hands to yourself. But there is a French economist from […]
The Moral Duty to Innovate: Why Stagnation is Actually Unethical Read More »
There is a French economist who died in 1832 who understands your YouTube channel better than most people running one today. His name is Jean-Baptiste Say, and he had one idea that refuses to age. He believed that production creates its own demand. Not marketing. Not hype. Production itself. The act of making something useful
Content as Capital: Why Your YouTube Archive Is Actually a Digital Factory Read More »
You have probably heard this advice at least a hundred times. Follow your heart. Trust your gut. If it feels right, it probably is. It sounds warm. It sounds human. It sounds like the kind of thing a wise grandmother would say while handing you a cookie. Immanuel Kant would not have taken that cookie.
Why You Should Never Do Something Just Because It “Feels Right” Read More »
You would think the most attractive, successful, and interesting people would have the easiest time finding a partner. They have the most to offer. They should be snapped up immediately, like beachfront property or concert tickets for a band that is about to break up. But look around. Some of the most impressive people you
The Ricardian Dating Market: Why the “Best” People Stay Single Read More »
There is a particular kind of anxiety that grips people when currencies wobble. You see it in the headlines. You hear it at dinner parties where someone who just discovered gold ETFs suddenly speaks with the authority of a central banker. The dollar is dying, they say. Protect yourself. Buy gold. Buy crypto. Buy Swiss
Don’t Hedge Against the Dollar. Hedge With Your Own Productivity Read More »
There is something almost poetic about a man who conquered most of Europe but could not conquer a simple economic truth. Napoleon Bonaparte reshaped borders, toppled monarchies, and rewrote the legal codes of entire civilizations. Yet when he turned his strategic mind to economics, he produced one of the most spectacular policy failures in modern
Napoleon’s Mistake: How the Continental System Proved Say Was Right About Free Trade Read More »
There is a peculiar ritual in democratic politics. Every few years, someone stands behind a podium and declares that the rich are not paying their fair share. The crowd roars. The policy passes. And then, quietly, the cost of everything you buy goes up, the jobs in your town get a little scarcer, and nobody
Carl von Clausewitz never pitched a VC. He never had to explain his burn rate on a board call or pretend to enjoy a team offsite. He spent his career studying Napoleon, fighting in wars he sometimes lost, and writing a book he never finished. He died in 1831 of cholera, which is about as
5 Lessons from a 19th Century General That Will Save Your Startup (Clausewitz) Read More »
You are forty three years old. You have the house, the career, the retirement account. And yet you wake up on a Tuesday morning with the distinct feeling that none of it means anything. Welcome to the midlife crisis, that peculiar modern ailment where people who have everything suddenly feel like they have nothing. Now,
How to “Produce” Your Way Out of a Mid-Life Crisis Read More »
You talk to your AI assistant more than you talk to your neighbor. You thank it. You apologize to it when you rephrase a question. You might even feel a small pang of guilt when you close the tab mid conversation. And somewhere in 17th century France, René Descartes is spinning in his grave. Or