David C. Rose explains Why Culture Matters Most. Small-group moral intuitions, small-group trust, are our heritage. But how to get
large-group trust? How do we get and sustain the many individual acts that
create and sustain large-group trust? Large-group trust is a commons and hard to
sustain. Rose writes that today's multiculturalism embraces tribalism and is a step
backward. Yet he remains optimistic. “Changing prevailing beliefs is hard but
we have done it before.” (p. 168). He cites the civil rights movement and the
environmental movement as recent spontaneous examples.
Civil rights, yes. Re environment, its complicated. The LA Times reports “L.A. is hemorrhaging bus riders — worsening traffic andhurting climate goals” (June 27, 2019).
The LA bus system has been declining for years because of the 40-year
(and counting) MTA drive to build
high-cost-low patronage rail transit.
They want to “get people out of their cars”. But they are moving in the
opposite direction. I keep citing Baptists and Boootleggers (thank you, Bruce
Yandle). It’s one of those ideas (like economic growth) that once you start thinking about it, you cannot get it out of your head.
So Mancur Olson was right. Cronyism is inevitable in the modern
mixed economy – and it just gets worse over time. In this conversation, George Will and JonahGoldberg conclude with, “be a persuader.” This is from two of the best. It will have to do.
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