The Problem With Meritocracy in America

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I would like to see objective tests and standards used to judge quality whenever possible. The rise of an anti-mericratic notion or the idea that meritocracy should be adjusted for social needs has made it very hard to have, I think, state-of-the-art production in many areas. Is there a bilateral approach to trade agreements that today could give us free trade than multilateralism? For example, I'm just throwing this from out of nowhere. If the US were to negotiate a genuinely strong bilateral agreement with the UK and perhaps one Asian partner, I wouldn't be surprised if that would essentially create huge incentives for most of the EU and large chunks of Asia to join in

Is John Nye the finest polymath in the George Mason economics department?

Raised in the Philippines and taught to be a well-rounded Catholic gentleman, John Nye learned the importance of a rigorous education from a young age. Indeed, according to Tyler he may very well be the best educated among his colleagues, having studied physics and literature as an undergraduate before earning a master’s and PhD in economics. And his education continues, as he’s now hard at work mastering his fourth language.

On this episode of Conversations with Tyler, Nye explains why it took longer for the French to urbanize than the British, the origins of the myth of free-trade Britain, why Vertigo is one of the greatest movies of all time, why John Stuart Mill is overrated, raising kids in a bilingual household, and much more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded October 30th, 2018 Other ways to connect

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