A short little observation from Russ Roberts' book on Adam Smith.
Courtesy of @Scoresby and @optimism talking good shit about it the general topic (#1458225). Self-assessed probability of living in a simulation just increased... what's the probability that these dudes invoke quotes from a ten-year-old book I just picked up?
Background: Russ Roberts is an economist who was early-af to the podcast game, and -- like hardcore Bitcoiners hodling -- held on for life, having run his Econtalk longer than some Stackers have been alive.
How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness is a 2015 book that came out roughly at the peak of his career: it's been downhill economically and intellectually from there. I can't stand the guy anymore (years since last I could stomach an Econtalk episode), and while I've had the book forever I've actually never opened it. #1414732
Here's a wonderful extract about what us moderns would call work-life balance
"A lot of ink has been spilled reminding us that the rat race is run by rats""A lot of ink has been spilled reminding us that the rat race is run by rats"
And it's from the sort of anecdotes that the book is filled with. Adam Smith quotes (mostly from Theory of Moral Sentiments rather than the more well-known economics treatise Wealth of Nations) and self-help type anecdotes:
avoid the cheese, _schtackers_.
I haven't listened to Econtalk for years either. What do you think went wrong with it?
He stopped talking about economics and markets and started getting very philosophical, almost metaphysical. The early years of econtalk were glorious.
But I remember realizing at some point in the late 20-teens that he hadn't done an episode on buying and selling things for a year. Stopped listening sometime around then.
That’s around the time I learned about Econtalk. There were several really good episodes about the American healthcare system during that stretch.
Fame got to his head? I got too based and extreme?
He claims he became a better interviewer, talk less and ask more. I just felt he became more and more cucked, less interesting, more sucking up
I started losing interest during Covid.
It probably was similar to what you described, just getting too extreme to be interested in his guests.
He had Taleb on during 'rona — true. It was pathetic... (But not sure whose most to blame, him or Taleb!)
I didn’t even mind most of the specific conversations. It just seemed like they were oblivious to the enormous scandal that was obviously unfolding.
The Russ Roberts view of Adam Smith is a favorite of mine. I must have heard him say that "be found lovely" quote on ten different episodes. Really stuck with me. The fact that I haven't brought it up in a post till recently is sad.
Same... Really catchy