
Cooperation and Coercion
How Busybodies Became Busybullies and What That Means for Economics and Politics
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Narrated by:
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Pat Grimes
About this listen
There are only two ways that humans work together: They cooperate with one another or they coerce one another. And once you realize this fundamental fact, it will change how you see the world.
In this myth-busting book, Antony Davies and James R. Harrigan display their wisdom and talent for explaining complex topics; these skills have attracted a devoted audience to their weekly podcast, Words & Numbers, and made them popular speakers around the country.
By looking for cooperation and coercion in everyday life, they help make sense of a wide range of issues that dominate the public debate. You'll come away from this book with a clear understanding of everything from the minimum wage to taxes, from gun control to government regulations, from the War on Terror to the War on Drugs to the War on Poverty.
It turns out that coercion is necessary...sometimes. Even in a democracy, we all abide by rules, including plenty that we don’t agree with, in the name of getting along.
But in the end, Davies and Harrigan show that cooperation, without question, is the key to human happiness and progress. The more we encourage it, the better off we all are.
©2020 Antony Davies and James R. Harrigan (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
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Great book!
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A comprehensive and excellent explanation of the current climate
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Economics is about Human incentives.
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Everyone needs to read this book
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This appeals to those who are more libertarian in temperament while also not being completely satisfying to those who are anarchists, but I won't dock the book for not going into something that it wasn't meant to address. One topic that I really would've appreciated hearing their perspective on is schooling since the requirement to have a K-12 education is a form of coercion — especially since both authors are heavily involved with education broadly speaking.
Don't get me wrong, I still found this to be a very compelling read, and it's clearly a good recommendation for the uninitiated to get them thinking and perhaps more motivated to continue reading further going forwards. And honestly, this somewhat reminded me of Thomas Sowell's "A Conflict of Visions" since they both introduce a binary classification, explain it with some basic principles, and then illustrate how it manifests in a variety of facets of real life. Not only is the approach reminiscent of Sowell's work, but also the quality. Those familiar with Sowell's work will understand how strong an endorsement that is.
I really hope that we can see more publications out of this duo in the future!
Sober and Thought Provoking Binary Classification
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Should be Required Reading
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The most underrated economic and political science book of our time.
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Clear, Concise, and Informative
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Rounds out the podcast
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So good, I read it twice
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