One way my religion has recently changed my life: I'm naturally very sympathetic to the need for law, justice, fairness, etc., so my natural inclination with respect to illegal immigration is to say, "Wait your turn. Don't break the law to cut in line and come here early. That isn't good for anybody."
But this scripture gives me pause: 'Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.' (2 Nephi 1:6)
And so when I see the news about the migrant train headed for the southern U.S. border right now, instead of being upset, my current inclination is to say, "I do not know what should happen. I will wait and see what happens." The Lord is able to do his own work. He doesn't need my opinion.
New position: neutral.
-Max
--
Doubtless some of the arguments developed here will prove oversimplified, or merely false. They are certainly controversial, even among my colleagues in economic history. But far better such error than the usual dreary academic sins, which now seem to define so much writing in the humanities, of willful obfuscation and jargon-laden vacuity. As Darwin himself noted, "false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for every one takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness: and when this is done, one path towards error is closed and the road to truth is often at the same time opened."[Darwin, 1998, 629] Thus my hope is that, even if the book is wrong in parts, it will be clearly and productively wrong, leading us toward the light. -Gregory Clark, Preface to Farewell to Alms
But this scripture gives me pause: 'Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.' (2 Nephi 1:6)
And so when I see the news about the migrant train headed for the southern U.S. border right now, instead of being upset, my current inclination is to say, "I do not know what should happen. I will wait and see what happens." The Lord is able to do his own work. He doesn't need my opinion.
New position: neutral.
-Max
--
Doubtless some of the arguments developed here will prove oversimplified, or merely false. They are certainly controversial, even among my colleagues in economic history. But far better such error than the usual dreary academic sins, which now seem to define so much writing in the humanities, of willful obfuscation and jargon-laden vacuity. As Darwin himself noted, "false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for every one takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness: and when this is done, one path towards error is closed and the road to truth is often at the same time opened."[Darwin, 1998, 629] Thus my hope is that, even if the book is wrong in parts, it will be clearly and productively wrong, leading us toward the light. -Gregory Clark, Preface to Farewell to Alms
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