Home / Quotes / Quote by Linda McQuaig

Quote by Linda McQuaig

“The absurdity of public-choice theory is captured by Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen in the following little scenario: "Can you direct me to the railway station?" asks the stranger. "Certainly," says the local, pointing in the opposite direction, towards the post office, "and would you post this letter for me on your way?" "Certainly," says the stranger, resolving to open it to see if it contains anything worth stealing.”

Quote by Linda McQuaig

Book:All you can eat: greed, lust, and the new capitalism

Work

All you can eat: greed, lust, and the new capitalism

This book explores the intersection of personal vices and systemic economic structures in the era of new capitalism. It argues that greed and lust have become not only tolerated but encouraged within consumer culture, shaping everything from corporate behavior to individual lifestyles. The author likely critiques how these impulses are harnessed by market forces, leading to unsustainable consumption, inequality, and a redefinition of social values. The title suggests an all-you-can-eat mentality applied to both material wealth and personal gratification, reflecting a society where limits are erased and desire is endlessly commodified. more

Author

Linda McQuaig is a respected journalist known for her incisive commentary on politics and economics. Born in 1951, she has made substantial contributions to journalism with her insightful analysis and engaging writing style. more

You May Also Like

“It seems strange to make a priori arguments about the relative performance of governments and the markets in health care when there is so much empirical evidence.”

Seems Government Care Strange Evidence Argument Performances Libertarian Health Care Relative Empirical Evidence

Author:John Quiggin

“Throughout the history of the Internet, most of the innovation has come as a by-product of efforts to facilitate communication within social groups of various kinds (academics, bloggers, peer-to-peer file sharing), rather than as the result of profit-oriented investment. Rather than taking the lead, the business and government sectors have adopted innovations developed in Internet communities, and realised significant productivity gains as a result.”

“Liberty and equality, spontaneity and security, happiness and knowledge, mercy and justice - all these are ultimate human values, sought for themselves alone; yet when they are incompatible, they cannot all be attained, choices must be made, sometimes tragic losses accepted in the pursuit of some preferred ultimate end.”

Humans Made Ends Sometimes Values Choices Justice Loss Liberty Security Mercy Ultimate Libertarian Accepted Pursuit Tragic Spontaneity Human Values Liberty And Equality Tragic Loss

Book:The Power of Ideas

Source: The Power of Ideas

“Personally I prefer a liberal dictator to democratic government lacking liberalism.”

Government Democratic Libertarian Liberalism Dictator Lacking Democratic Government

Author:Friedrich August von Hayek

“The broad liberal objective is a balanced and flexible "mixed economy," thus seeking to occupy that middle ground between capitalism and socialism whose viability has so long been denied by both capitalists and socialists.”

Long Economy Middle Capitalism Seeking Libertarian Socialism Objectives Broads Denied Capitalist Balanced Flexible Middle Ground Capitalism And Socialism Mixed Economy

Author:Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

“In contrast, markets - oft mythologized as "natural" are the most unnatural things going. Libertarians will tell you "market laws are laws of nature", what baloney. Markets - and the other great modernist cornucopian tools - are magnificent wealth generating machines, built ad-hoc, through trial and error, constantly fine-tuned and refined, tinkered, adjusted.”

Law Natural Wealth Fine Built Tools Machines Errors Libertarian Trials Ads Contrast Magnificent Laws Of Nature Unnatural Refined Trial And Error Baloney

Author:David Brin

“The term "rational" and its variants (rationality, rationalism) are used in a lot of contexts in economic debate, both positively and negatively, but nearly always sloppily or dishonestly. A specimen I've seen on more occasions than I can count is the line (usually presented with a sense of witty originality) "if you are opposed to economic rationalism, you must be in favor of economic irrationalism"... I've come to the conclusion that the word "rational" has no meaning that cannot better be conveyed by some alternative term and that the best advice is probably to avoid it altogether.”

Ifs I Can Used Term Lines Economic Advice Witty Libertarian Favors Debate Rational Conclusion Occasions Alternatives Originality Rationality Positively Best Advice Rationalism Of Context

Author:John Quiggin

“You get involved with a character after spending a long time waiting, and this demands a lot of energy and concentration.”

Long Character Energy Waiting Involved Demand Long Time Spending Concentration Get Involved

Author:Catherine Deneuve

“At George Mason University I saw Hoppe present a lecture in which he claimed that Ludwig von Mises had set the intellectual foundation for not only economics, but for ethics, geometry, and optics, as well. This bizarre claim turned a serious scholar and profound thinker into a comical cult figure, a sort of Euro Kim Il Sung.”

“But Friedman seemed to share Friedrich Hayek's extreme and inaccurate view that socialism of the sort that Britain embraced under the old Labour Party was incompatible with democracy, and I don't think that there is a good theoretical or empirical basis for that view. The Road to Serfdom flunks the test of accuracy of prediction!”

Thinking Views Party Democracy Share Tests Bases Extremes Libertarian Socialism Britain Labour Predictions Theoretical Accuracy Labour Party Hayek Road To Serfdom Friedrich Hayek

Author:Richard Posner