Without further evidence, this article really seems to overstate the significance of material goals to material inequality. All it shows is that there is *some* correlation between the two, yet Caplan claims:
"Leftist outrage over income inequality is therefore deeply misguided. To a large extent, incomes differ because priorities differ."
This is a radical statement, and nothing in the article backs it up.
The error here is that, whatever their goals, the genuinely poor have significantly less opportunity than those of reasonable or high means.
That’s why caring about distribution matters- it’s what allows people to chase the goals that matter to them. And that’s without even considering the impact of socialisation on choosing life goals.
And as pointed out in the first paragraph, this study was of people who were starting at "elite" colleges in 1976. One has to suspect this cohort might not be perfectly representative of the population.
Great point. For many not narrowly focused on wealth accumulation, wealth is still the necessary vehicle of goal attainment - delivering time, opportunity, and means.
At the same time, there are goals for which wealth isn’t a necessary or primary driver. For these, I think the article makes good observations.
I think men adjust their expectations on women based on their own appearance - men who are 5s will typically find women who are 5s attractive because they have to. It could be the same with poor people. Maybe poor people lower their income expectations to avoid disappointment.
priming, on which he was supremely arrogant about in later quotes saying people HAD to believe it the evidence was aBUNDANT, turned out to be horse manure, as the replication crisis showed.
if he had a shred of integrity he'd have pulled that chapter from the book, or at least had an forward errata explaining.
An astute observation. How is it reasonable that all of humanity is striving to be Elon Musk but merely failing, or, more likely, being suppressed? It's stupid. I am not a manager at my company because I DO NOT WANT to be one. Such a position is frustrating, demands hours I don't want to give up and the salaries are not very much better. Different finish lines.
People comfortable in their poverty have crossed their finish line (family and friends of mine are like this). It is fallacy to assume they have failed, or they despair.
This insight may also help explain why so many young people in developing nations are angry socialists. They are promised a better future and they probably want to be financially much better off than they are, years later, when wealth does not materialize, they are psychologically LESS satisfied than any peer bc of their absurdly high expectations to begin with.
Without further evidence, this article really seems to overstate the significance of material goals to material inequality. All it shows is that there is *some* correlation between the two, yet Caplan claims:
"Leftist outrage over income inequality is therefore deeply misguided. To a large extent, incomes differ because priorities differ."
This is a radical statement, and nothing in the article backs it up.
What does he say about the elusive pursuit of the tenure track job?
The error here is that, whatever their goals, the genuinely poor have significantly less opportunity than those of reasonable or high means.
That’s why caring about distribution matters- it’s what allows people to chase the goals that matter to them. And that’s without even considering the impact of socialisation on choosing life goals.
And as pointed out in the first paragraph, this study was of people who were starting at "elite" colleges in 1976. One has to suspect this cohort might not be perfectly representative of the population.
Why do they have significantly less opportunity? Sounds like you are saying they are poor because they are poor.
Great point. For many not narrowly focused on wealth accumulation, wealth is still the necessary vehicle of goal attainment - delivering time, opportunity, and means.
At the same time, there are goals for which wealth isn’t a necessary or primary driver. For these, I think the article makes good observations.
Most importantly, RIP.
I think men adjust their expectations on women based on their own appearance - men who are 5s will typically find women who are 5s attractive because they have to. It could be the same with poor people. Maybe poor people lower their income expectations to avoid disappointment.
That sounds circular. Why are they poor to begin with?
priming, on which he was supremely arrogant about in later quotes saying people HAD to believe it the evidence was aBUNDANT, turned out to be horse manure, as the replication crisis showed.
if he had a shred of integrity he'd have pulled that chapter from the book, or at least had an forward errata explaining.
An astute observation. How is it reasonable that all of humanity is striving to be Elon Musk but merely failing, or, more likely, being suppressed? It's stupid. I am not a manager at my company because I DO NOT WANT to be one. Such a position is frustrating, demands hours I don't want to give up and the salaries are not very much better. Different finish lines.
People comfortable in their poverty have crossed their finish line (family and friends of mine are like this). It is fallacy to assume they have failed, or they despair.
This insight may also help explain why so many young people in developing nations are angry socialists. They are promised a better future and they probably want to be financially much better off than they are, years later, when wealth does not materialize, they are psychologically LESS satisfied than any peer bc of their absurdly high expectations to begin with.