Kategorie: Germany

Sarrazin reloaded

The best known example of a shitstorm of recent origin is, of course, the “case Sarrazin”. In his book „Deutschland schafft sich ab“ (Germany is about to abolish itself), 95% of his evidence had been drawn from relevant scientific publications, while the last 5% (particularly his comments on the relative importance of the environment versus genetic predisposition) were a matter of legitimate scientific controversy. The professional publications he used had, however, only reached the tiny audience of researchers with similar interests, that is why they had practically escaped all public attention. Sarrazin reloaded weiterlesen

To which League does Mr. Christoph Steskal belong? Considerations concerning an editor of a German publishing house

We may be indulgent to German spitzes if they occasionally pee on the statues of great men, for that is the very nature of these animals, but when they bark at the moon, everyone realizes that these cute little creatures are reaching out for far too high a goal. We shake our heads shouting „stop it“. The moon is not your league! To which League does Mr. Christoph Steskal belong? Considerations concerning an editor of a German publishing house weiterlesen

To „sinn“ or not to „sinn” – that is the question

Since the old Babylonians looked up to the stars, man has been thinking about the future, trying to read it from tea leaves, from the livers of sacrificial animals or derive it from the stars of the zodiac. Nowadays, we tend to be more modest: at most we ask what will happen in the next ten to twenty years – for example, how people will judge the Merkel era after her successor occupies her position. To „sinn“ or not to „sinn” – that is the question weiterlesen

Climate Change and Mass Migration

I am fortunate enough to live in a country where nobody is hungry, nobody is persecuted because of his or her faith, color or race and where even at night people need not fear to be ambushed or murdered by starving people, desperate thieves or political fanatics. Climate Change and Mass Migration weiterlesen

The Curse of Globalization

I am living in Puch near Weiz, a small village in Styria. Some tourists who spend their holidays here will describe the place as dreamy, although local people are by no means idle dreamers, but hard-working men and women. The Curse of Globalization weiterlesen

Forebodings of war: US against China – hopefully a trade war only

As late as the end of the last century, one could read in Der Spiegel, a German magazine, that after the downfall of the Soviet Union the super-power US had achieved complete victory. In fact, Hollywood movies were on display all over the world, people dressed in jeans, singing and making American music, drinking Coca-Cola, and spreading Windows, Apple, and the American-made Internet all over the world. In the nineties, no world power seemed to exist or even to be conceivable other than the mighty United States of America. Forebodings of war: US against China – hopefully a trade war only weiterlesen

Capitalism, Wealth, and Power

The current moaning about neo-liberalism, tends to obscure the fact that the last two hundred years have seen nothing less than the greatest progress in human history, provided, of course, that we are willing to define progress in a purely material way. Capitalism, Wealth, and Power weiterlesen

The Meaning of Economic Philosophy

In ‘The Open Society and its Enemies’, Karl Popper strongly defended the position that major interventions in the economy, especially when ideologically motivated, are usually disastrous and should therefore be avoided. The Meaning of Economic Philosophy weiterlesen

Electromobility – When the wish is the father to the thought …

„The car of the future has a problem: there is no tank, only a bulky battery, which weighs several hundred kilograms but delivers no more energy than a few petroleum bottles. The car of the future does not need a filler neck. It draws its food from a cable. And this process is about as fast as filling a canister with a doctor’s syringe“. Electromobility – When the wish is the father to the thought … weiterlesen

Positive Money – a theory built on sand and faulty logic

The following arguments represent a general criticism of various ideas asserting a creation of money out of nothing. Those who don’t know the work of professor Huber which the present article is meant to refute (Monetäre Modernisierung, 2016 Metropolis) need not be afraid. The following text may be read and fully understood without such knowledge. I will systematically contrast the view of orthodox money theory with the view proposed by the adherents of money ex nihilo (prefixed “N”). For further reading I recommend “Creating Money out of Nothing: The History of an Idea” by Mike King  – an excellent survey which, apart from providing a very useful historical summery, contains logical arguments supplementing those the reader will find in the following analysis.*1*

Positive Money – a theory built on sand and faulty logic weiterlesen