Where do you stand politically?

[euroazn]

Just out of curiosity... what is the average quantnet-er's stance politically?
This website does a pretty good assesment. I'm a right-libertarian.

And you, Quantnet?

 

[boneil]

right-libertarian, although it's interesting that there was not an ability to answer "indifferent"

 

[IlyaKEightSix]

Between -1/-3 on economics (that is, slightly left of center), and between -1 and 1 on authoritarian/libertarian. (I took it multiple times)

Which more or less sums up my philosophies...leave well enough alone, and make sure that the little guy has a chance to be prosperous. And anyone who thinks a multi-national megacorporation has its interests in line with the USA needs to do some serious re-thinking.

All of the nice theories about free market economics are based in microeconomics, in which no single firm can affect the market in the slightest--therefore, if a large firm steps out of line, the "invisible hand of the market" will rapidly find an alternative and said large firm will have to listen to its consumers or go out of business.

In reality, that's absolutely not how it works in the slightest, unless you're talking about silicon valley, and even there things don't happen overnight (though certainly they happen much faster).

 

[euroazn]

All of the nice theories about free market economics are based in microeconomics, in which no single firm can affect the market in the slightest--therefore, if a large firm steps out of line, the "invisible hand of the market" will rapidly find an alternative and said large firm will have to listen to its consumers or go out of business.

In reality, that's absolutely not how it works in the slightest...

I agree, but can a government truly make any better decision?

 

[AWilliams]

Between -1/-3 on economics (that is, slightly left of center), and between -1 and 1 on authoritarian/libertarian. (I took it multiple times)

Which more or less sums up my philosophies...leave well enough alone, and make sure that the little guy has a chance to be prosperous. And anyone who thinks a multi-national megacorporation has its interests in line with the USA needs to do some serious re-thinking.

All of the nice theories about free market economics are based in microeconomics, in which no single firm can affect the market in the slightest--therefore, if a large firm steps out of line, the "invisible hand of the market" will rapidly find an alternative and said large firm will have to listen to its consumers or go out of business.

In reality, that's absolutely not how it works in the slightest, unless you're talking about silicon valley, and even there things don't happen overnight (though certainly they happen much faster).

The way you think in categories is intriguing.

 

[physEcon]

All of the nice theories about free market economics are based in microeconomics, in which no single firm can affect the market in the slightest--therefore, .

You have some wiggle room by saying "nice" (perhaps a true scotsman fallacy?), but no not all theories about free market economics are based on the same assumptions.

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

Right Libertarian

Also, this thread is going to turn into a shit show. Just saying.

 

[IlyaKEightSix]

I agree, but can a government truly make any better decision?

Of course not. But considering that we have corporate mega-monsters that can be large enough to outsource jobs, crowd out competitors (besides each other), troll patents (in the case of Silicon Valley), and cover up most wrongdoings with well-oiled PR campaigns and legions of lawyers, the only entity who can take those entities down a notch is the U.S. government.

After all, if all industries were like the hedge fund industry or Silicon Valley which more or less go by "if a tree falls in the forest and nobody hears it, did it make a sound?", aka if any firm fails, nobody besides its stakeholders/employees give a damn, we'd have ideal free market capitalism. Deliver something people want, get paid, turn profitable, keep up performance, and get successful doing it. Instead, we have the less than free market that we have with firms that are too big to fail.

When you're operating in such an environment, it sort of makes it difficult for a few individuals to start up a small firm and strike out on their own, isn't it? That's not good for capitalism and innovation.

 

[Andy D.]

I came in at:
Economic Left/Right: -2.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.95


I was surprised as I expected to be slightly more to the right on the economic scale.

 

[Ilya W]

interested test indeed, I came at:

Economic Left/Right: -1.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -2.51

 

[menovive]

All are sinners and being run by the same tycoons. ! There are lottsa "Inside Job". Everywhere !!

 

[chiadam]

I felt the questions needed three further options: "Can't be bothered", "It depends" and "Seriously, it really, really, depends"

Totally agree

 

[Eugene Krel]

42 is always the answer

 

[joel_b]

Some of those questions are setups, you have no way to disagree with the initial premise.

Anyways, more often than not, politically I find myself on the side of bacon.

 

[IlyaKEightSix]

Some of those questions are setups, you have no way to disagree with the initial premise.

Also true. I remember a question asking about a dictatorship eliminating some of the frictions of two-party rule. Well of course that's obvious and all, but that's a loaded question, isn't it?

 

[DanM]

All of the nice theories about free market economics are based in microeconomics, in which no single firm can affect the market in the slightest--therefore, if a large firm steps out of line, the "invisible hand of the market" will rapidly find an alternative and said large firm will have to listen to its consumers or go out of business.

Not really. Most of the "nice theories about free market economics" are not based on utilitarianism, but rather deontological ethics.

Utilitarianism is very silly.

 

[euroazn]

Considering most people here are working or aspiring to work in the financial industry, I'm surprised there aren't more right-libertarians rather than left libertarians.

 

[euroazn]

Perhaps your pre-ingrained prejudices about the individual morality of those that work in finance was wrong?

Implying that economic freedom is morally wrong? Shame on me for not wanting to give away my hard earned living!

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

Simplicity is usually best. You work for it, you should control how it is spent.

 

[iniesta]

left libertarian