Majority triumphs, they say. We must resist the tyranny of the majority, we’re told. But what if it’s a determined minority that actually calls the shots? Nassim Nicholas Taleb posits that an intransigent minority can almost always prevail over a flexible majority. His reasoning, though counterintuitive, is simple: “Someone with a peanut allergy will not... Continue Reading →
The Seen and the Unseen
"Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?""To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.""The dog did nothing in the night-time.""That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes. Source: "The Adventure of Silver Blaze", The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes While others were distracted by the events that... Continue Reading →
The Cost of Luxury Beliefs
Lately, I struggled to put a name to the phenomenon that I see in many elitist circles. These people are as conservative as it goes in their private life. Yet, they aggressively profess to stand by ‘enlightened’ beliefs in public. Imagine my delight when I saw that someone had coined a term, “luxury beliefs”, to... Continue Reading →
Common Good vs. Self-interest
I use the “Public Choice Theory” to make sense of otherwise inexplicable situations in politics and business.
Education Never Ends
“Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last.” - Sherlock Holmes. In my college days, I used to flunk classes to visit the library. While the missed classes instantly reflected in poor grades, the knowledge gained at the library was of no immediate value. At the library,... Continue Reading →
Applying Systems Thinking to Population Problems
In a previous edition, we touched on why systems problems cannot be solved by rational reasoning alone. Let’s explore with examples. In 1967, Romania decided to reverse its population decline by making abortions illegal. It seemed to have the desired effect: the birth rate tripled. Yet, the birth rate not just crawled back to its... Continue Reading →
How PV Narasimha Rao transformed India
I pay my tributes to the statesman par excellence who successfully pulled India back from the brink.
Nonlinearity at Work
System problems are “rooted in the internal structure of complex systems.” They are, “undesirable behaviors characteristic of the system structures that produce them.”
Bhopal Gas Tragedy: A Case Against Globalization?
Exploring the central question about the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. How could Union Carbide get away with it? How did Warren Anderson, UCC’s CEO at the time of the tragedy, go scott-free?
Law as Instrument of Social Change
In the Indian context, driving social change requires public engagement and prolonged use of rhetoric. Not enactment of deadly laws.
Musings by Madhav 