“Material insufficiency and environmental problems have their benefits, over and beyond the improvement which they invoke. They focus the attention of individuals and communities, and constitute a set of challenges which can bring out the best in people.”
– Julian Simon, The Ultimate Resource 2 (1996), p. 587.
“We need our problems, though this does not imply that we should purposely create additional problems for ourselves.”
– Julian Simon, The Ultimate Resource 2 (1996), p. 588.
The rains from Hurricane Harvey presented a worst-case event for Houston, Texas, and the petroleum/petrochemical capital of the United States. As such, a lesser known part of the Julian Simon (1932–1998) worldview of human progress comes into play.
Simon argued that there was a driving force or condition for human improvement beyond the institutional framework (private property, voluntary exchange, the rule of law), based on the human potential of motivation, effective use of knowledge, trial and error feedback, etc.…
Editor Note: Earlier this summer, Pierre Desrochers received the 2017 Julian L. Simon Memorial Award at the annual dinner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. For the community of scholars, it was a great choice. “Dr. Desrochers has carried the torch for Julian Simon’s legacy for more than two decades,” noted CEI President Kent Lassman. “His defense of modern large-scale agriculture and critique of the concept of ‘food miles,’ in The Locavore’s Dilemma informs any reasoned discussion on how to improve the health and wealth of people everywhere.”
Professor Desrochers extemporaneous remarks have been revised for publication.
Thank you all and particularly to CEI for this award.
Those of us in the tradition of Julian Simon try to produce work that is based on logic and facts and come up with a compelling narrative.
“Gov. Abbott, we would like to bid you a political adieu. Perhaps you can devote your time to rebuilding Houston and taking night classes in climate science.”
“And to ExxonMobil, Chevron, Koch Industries, ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, and other oil giants doing your business in Texas: You put up the first $25 billion in Houston disaster relief. Call it compensation for your emissions. Tell the truth about growing climate threats. Then, as citizens seeking the common good, we will match your stake.”
Jeffrey Sachs, “Sachs: Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott Needs to Resign,” CNN Opinion, August 29, 2017.
“Sachs: Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott Needs to Resign,” screams the headline at CNN Opinion.
The author is Jeffrey Sachs, head of Columbia University’s The Earth Institute, which defines itself as “blend[ing] research in the physical and social sciences, education, and practical solutions to help guide the world onto a path toward sustainability.”…