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Marc F. Bellemare Posts

Published July 24, 2013

A Theory of Value in “The Swiss Family Robinson”

SwissFamilyRobinson

Much like the content of Monday’s post, this has been in my “to-blog” file ever since I went on sabbatical in Belgium in 2009-2010 and read The Swiss Family Robinson, a book rich in social science content.

The following is from the original 1816 English translation, chapter 18. The emphasis is mine.

As we walked along, Fritz asked me if this handsome shell was of the kind so much valued in Europe for making into boxes, combs, &c.? and if it was not a pity to use it for a water-tub?

I replied that in our deserted situation the utility of a thing formed its greatest, and indeed only value. According to this way of reasoning then, were your water-tub of diamonds, it would be of no more worth to us than the rudest stone, if in such a form as to be able to contain water.

Published July 23, 2013

In Industrialized America, Why Do Members of Congress Favor Farm Subsidies?

That’s the title of my first Key Findings Brief (link opens a .pdf document) as a member of the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN), which I finally joined last week after putting off submitting my application materials for months and after being encouraged to do so by my coauthor Nick Carnes, who is himself co-director of the Research Triangle SSN regional network.

As per its mission statement, the SSN

Continue readingIn Industrialized America, Why Do Members of Congress Favor Farm Subsidies?
Published July 22, 2013

Determinism, Free Will, and Health Outcomes

InDefenseOfFood

This has been in my “to-blog” file ever since I went on sabbatical in Belgium in 2009-2010 and read In Defense of Food.

Some food for thought from Michael Pollan:

“[I]t’s only natural to search for the causes of one’s misfortune and, perhaps, to link one’s illness to one’s behavior. One of the more pernicious aspects of nutritionism is that it encourages us to blame our health problems on lifestyle choices, implying that the individual bears ultimate responsibility for whatever illnesses befall him. It’s worth keeping in mind that a far more powerful predictor of heart disease than either diet or exercise is social class.”