Naomi Wolf’s ridiculous, blissfully data-free piece on how teh pr0n is leaving guys uninterested in actual sex with real women has already come in for a well–deserved bludgeoning, but a couple more points worth making. First, the idea that guys are opting for unrealistic fantasy-women over the genuine article seems to run counter to the […]

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Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler’s concept of “libertarian paternalism” is generating renewed discussion on the heels of a Wall Street Journal debate between Thaler and my quondam mentor in the occult mysteries of libertarianism, NYU economist Mario Rizzo. For all that I’m a fan of linguistic precision, I think Will Wilkinson’s semantic critique of the […]

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I meant to link earlier this week Glenn Greenwald’s essay pointing out that while “precipitous” withdrawal from Iraq may well lead to more chaos and violence, so might staying.

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GamePolitics reports on a new video game law that flew through the New York State legislature faster than Sonic the Hedgehog on benzedrine. It includes a redundant provision mandating that new game consoles include parental-control technology (new consoles already do) and a dangerously vague one making it a felony to sell or rent to minors […]

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The Republican senator from Kansas—one of three participants in the Republican primary debates to avow disbelief in the theory of evolution—takes to the pages of The New York Times to explain his views. He starts off with some reasonable-sounding sallies, rejecting a stark contrast between pure materialism and the view that life on earth was […]

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An article in Scientific American introduces an interesting game theoretic puzzle, the Travelers Dilemma, and proceeds to spin some truly bizarre political conclusions from it. First, the puzzle. Since the effect of the little accompanying story, to judge by the comments at Digg, is primarily to induce people who don’t understand game theory to say […]

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The New York Times sums up some of the interesting work being done on the neurological bases of morality, in particular the finding that we seem to be hardwired to enjoy altruism. The piece is a little less precise than I might have liked: It should come as no surprise at all that there’s some […]

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No, no, I’m not talking about the local S&M club, but Hilzoy’s post on a recent report concluding that “harsh methods” or “enhanced interrogation techniques.” or (if you insist on being gauche) torture is not a very effective method for gathering intelligence: When I read arguments written by people who support torture, many of them […]

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I think Ezra hits an important point vis a vis Chris Hayes’ piece on neoclassical and “heterodox” economists: In academic journals and whatnot, mainstream economists are perfectly willing to incorporate good ideas from “heterodox” researchers. When they’re writing op-eds and policy papers, they hew to a simpler “trade is good” line. One of Ezra’s commenters […]

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David Boaz warns about Giuliani’s authoritarian streak, a drum Matt Welch has been banging for a while now.

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