> Science writer and MIT professor Levenson reminds readers that rulers throughout history have taxed citizens to pay bills.
Not really, the first goal of any state is to collect taxes and prevent other states to do that. First states were basically racqueteers, who robbed their subjects at gunpoint (tribute), and for the money hired larger squads, making a system with positive feedback. The conversion of tribes to states was unlikely to be peaceful.
I mean, the first priority of any state is to collect taxes, that are financing the taxation system and preventing others doing the same (military). Everything else must be secondary, otherwise other states with more efficient systems will come over.
This article confirms that the common lore is broadly correct. Newton bought, stock goes up, Newton sells, realizes huge gains, stock goes up more, Newton buys again, stock crashes, Newton loses big.
I don’t know who first derived the Earth’s escape velocity, but it requires calculus and Newton’s theory of gravity, so he should have been able to figure out that the old adage isn’t actually true.
One of the things I found interesting recently was that the "South Sea" part of the name refers to the South Atlantic. I'd always inferred that the "South Sea" was the South Pacific.
I suppose the term "South Pacific" is ingrained in the language, so naturally my mind takes me there with "South Sea".
Anyway, just one of those long-held beliefs that turns out yo be false.
Precisely why one should not place much emphasis on the takes of people like Paul Graham and LeCun outside their specialization. They are as susceptible as anyone to be suckered into an ideology.
The same can also be said for Dr. Jordan Peterson. He has expertise only within his specific domain, but then once he gets political or discusses the concept of God, he comes off as uninformed and out of his element.
IQ does not mean one thing. It is a range of things. You can be totally brilliant at one thing and a complete fool on something else. It is what I call the smart person trap. You know you are smart at one thing. So therefor you are smart so therefore you are probably good at everything. Poor logic. I heard a con artist put it this way 'i love suckering smart people they think they are never wrong'.
MONEY FOR NOTHING
THE SCIENTISTS, FRAUDSTERS, AND CORRUPT POLITICIANS WHO REINVENTED MONEY, PANICKED A NATION, AND MADE THE WORLD RICH
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/thomas-levenson/m...