In mathematics, a “point of inflection” is the point at which a function stops falling and starts growing or stops growing and starts falling. In the language of calculus, we say that a point of inflection is where the second derivative of the function transitions from positive to negative or vice versa.
The well-being of the common American hit an inflection point with the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan as president of the United States. After decades in growth following WW2, instantaneously, we had huge tax breaks for billionaires on the basis of “trickle-down economics,” i.e., the idea that rich people, if they were made even richer, would hire more people.
For some reason, this idea was widely accepted, certainly not by economists, but by the working class, who couldn’t put together the notion that no one hires people except when they’re hit by market forces.
Where do you get pizza? Do you think for a second that the owner of a pizzeria wants more employees to make and deliver your pizza than is absolutely required to keep his customers happy? No, and guess what. That applies to everyone, from the local mom-and-pop shop to the Fortune 500.
The Well-Being of Working Class Americans Hit a Downturn in 1980
Here’s a very short video on the subject of metaphysics, the philosophy of being and reality.
It’s a great example of what I mean when I say that it has been a terrible last few centuries for philosophers.
In ancient times, if you wanted to know what the fundamental building blocks of the universe, you asked a philosopher, perhaps the ancient Athenian Democritus, who propounded the theory of the atom, which was, by definition, indivisible. Now we refer this question to the realm of particle physics.
Far more recently, those who struggled to know the ultimate nature of reality asked a metaphysician. Now, once again, we’ve put our trust in science.
I hope you’ll check out the video linked above.
As a PhD colleague once told me, “If you don’t care how much of pay for electricity, I’ll get you all the renewable energy you could ever ask for.”
They want you to invest. Have you ever asked why people with their own money at stake have abandoned these ideas 20 years ago?
At left we see why Lincoln would have done well to let the Confederacy cede from the Union. He could have simply written a letter to Robert E. Lee stating:
Keep your slaves and your land…for now. Wait until you experience the effects of near-zero industrial and military technology development and the civilized world’s refusal to trade with you barbarians. By the end of the 19th Century, a stiff breeze will blow you away. Maybe some future U.S. president will invade you with a troop of Boy Scouts with slingshots, or maybe a handful of banditos will ride up from Mexico.
-
Climate Change11 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases11 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Renewable Energy8 months agoSending Progressive Philanthropist George Soros to Prison?
-
Climate Change2 years ago
Bill Discounting Climate Change in Florida’s Energy Policy Awaits DeSantis’ Approval
-
Carbon Footprint2 years agoUS SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rules Spur Renewed Interest in Carbon Credits
-
Greenhouse Gases12 months ago
嘉宾来稿：探究火山喷发如何影响气候预测