A Journal for Western Man :  Issue LIV

Return to Issue LIII.             View TRA's Superstructure Index.     Proceed to Issue LV.

TRA's Yahoo! Group.            View TRA's Old Master Index.          TRA's Allied Organizations.

TRA's Discussion Forum.     View TRA's List of Contributors.        Submit Items to TRA.

Economics

Carl Menger, Individualism, Marginal Utility, and the Revival of Economics:
April 4, 2006:
G. Stolyarov II writes of the great Austrian economist Carl Menger (1840-1921) and the way in which he resolved severe inconsistencies in the Classical economists' theory of value. Menger's methodological individualism, methodological subjectivism, and contextually individually objective view of values led him to develop a realistic view of marginal utility and resolve the Classical economists' water-diamond paradox.

Does the Tying and Bundling of Products Harm Consumers?:
April 4, 2006:
This press release from the Molinari Economic Institute defends Microsoft against its persecutors in the European Commission-- economically unenlightened regulators who object to Microsoft's bundling of software products for sale to willing consumers who would be benefited by such bundling. 

Atlas Forced into Early Retirement:
April 5, 2006:
Dr. Edward Hudgins exposes a blatantly, unapologetically immoral, paternalistic study by economists Joel Slemrod and Daniel Hammermesh-- snobbish parasites who try to justify taxing producers at extremely high rates by claiming to be protecting them from "workaholism." It is critical for us to counter the evil of this study-- its blatant hatred for productivity and for producers who love what they do.

Filosofy

Entities and Spatial Continuity:
April 4, 2006:
G. Stolyarov II supplements his Rational Cosmology with a discussion of another ubiquitous quality of every entity: spatial continuity. He uses this insight to show how heterogeneous entities-- combinations of simpler entities-- can exist as entities in their own right-- provided they are spatially continuous. By the same criterion, Mr. Stolyarov disqualifies "the universe" from being an entity, because "it" would not be spatially continuous.

Doubt the Action Axiom? Try to Disprove It:
April 5, 2006:
At the core of praxeology lies the incontrovertible proposition that humans act. Action is the purposeful employment of means to achieve ends in accord with the actor's values. The existence of action is axiomatic; the very attempt to deny it will result in its affirmation. Here, G. Stolyarov II defends this validation of the action axiom — a validation that has been criticized as a self-referential statement.

Politics

Loathing, Lies, and Liberation Theology:
April 4, 2006:
Doe Run Peru-- a company that has exercised immense social responsibility in dramatically improving the quality of life in the town where it performs mining operations-- has come under unjust attack by Oxfam environmentalists and quasi-Marxist "liberation theologians," writes Paul Driessen. It is time to defend the people of La Oroya, Peru-- who overwhelmingly support Doe Run Peru-- against intrusive activists with no stake in their well-being.

Defending GMO against the Culture of Precaution:
April 13, 2006:
French senators are considering an alarming proposition that would vastly limit the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food. This press release by the Molinari Economic Institute defends the benefits of GMOs in terms of increased standards of human living, while condemning the "precautionary principle," which-- if applied-- would halt all technological progress that might have an even remote potential of danger. 

Science

Vitamin B17: Cure for Cancer?:
April 4, 2006:
Pseudonymous Contributor argues that the widespread existence of cancer among modern Western populations can be explained by the deficiency of a vitamin that has been almost entirely edited out of the modern diet-- B17. While The Rational Argumentator does not agree with the premise of this article, it is published in accord with The Rational Argumentator's commitment to free expression of intelligently articulated viewpoints.

Embryonic Stem Cell Hucksters Exploit Paralysis:
April 13, 2006:
Michael Fumento debunks myths spread by the mainstream media about the miraculous effects of embryonic stem-cell (ECS) research-- which the media uses to justify extensive government funding to ECS research. In fact, ECS has not shown to cure a single case of paralysis, while adult stem-cell research (ACS)-- ignored by the mass media-- has been curing cases for decades.

WiFi False Fears:
April 13, 2006:
Some Canadian government officials in the city of Toronto-- urged on by vehement opponents of progress-- are seriously considering barring access to WiFi connections to their citizens. Michael Fumento refutes all urban myths about the dangers of WiFi devices; WiFi, after all, is just another radio frequency which enables easier connection to the Internet. The true danger lies in heeding the suggestions of those who view every new technological advance as suspect.

"All men ought to live for themselves, not against others."

~ G. Stolyarov II