Comments on: Triumphs of Capitalism

By: Weekend Roundup at Steven Landsburg | The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics, and Physics

Sat, 15 May 2010 06:03:10 +0000

[...] began the week with another triumph of capitalism, then moved on to a deep unsolved problem in arithmetic—which you, the reader, have an [...]

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:22:15 +0000

Another Triumph:

http://crabrevenge.com/

By: Tom Dougherty

Tom Dougherty — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:20:10 +0000

The first 5 pages of an unpublished book? How much are the second 5 pages, $8,000 too? And the third 5 pages, how much is that? If the unpublished book is 500 pages long and he was able to sell the book 5 pages at a time for $8,000, then he would make $800,000 from this unpublished book.

“The Killer”. I bet the book isn’t a comedy.

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:11:20 +0000

@neil – your hypothetical fool would have the last laugh if someone were to pay their asking price.

Yes, and that is the “greater fool” theory of asset pricing.

By: dave

dave — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:57:43 +0000

wasnt there a guy who traded up a paper clip into a home? perhaps a better title would be ‘triumphs of a free market’.

@neil – your hypothetical fool would have the last laugh if someone were to pay their asking price.

dont publishers often (or never in the case of untested authors) pay far more for far less actual product when it comes to advances?

By: Super-Fly

Super-Fly — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:22:40 +0000

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/bhm/1614891621.html

Craigslist really is a free-market playground

By: Neil

Neil — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:43:06 +0000

I think I’ve already read this book–it is about a fool who pays $4000 for an unfinished book and then tries to sell it to someone else for $8000.

By: Henry

Henry — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:58:10 +0000

I’d be interested, but unfortunately I haven’t progressed beyond picture books yet. Maybe I’ll come back when I get into the next reading group.

At least the author is able to predict our scepticism by noting that it is “actually” a very interesting book.

By: Harold

Harold — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:10:46 +0000

I think it is a tad overpriced – although I haven’t read it.

By: Al V.

Al V. — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:14:51 +0000

Reminds of the joke: A woman is walking down a street in NYC, when she stops at a kiosk where a man is selling paintings. She looks at them for a moment, but they are truly awful, and the price tag on each is $5,000,000. She asks the seller if he doesn’t think the price is too high. He replies, “Well, I only have to sell one.”