We’ve reported in this forum about George Mason University economist Daniel Klein‘s recognition that a 2010 study purporting to show liberals’ poor grasp of economic concepts actually showed the power of confirmation bias.
While Klein’s admission marked a significant concession to left-of-center thinkers, an “instructor of Ethical Leadership and Decision-Making” at Marylhurst University was unwilling to declare victory and go home. Instead that instructor decided to write a letter to The Atlantic highlighting his economic ignorance and confirmation bias — thus proving Klein’s point.
I initially thought [Klein’s original Wall Street Journal column on his research] was a self-parody, so blindingly obvious was it that Mr. Klein had measured not knowledge but ideology. (I came to my senses when I recalled which newspaper I was reading.) But his own ideology may still be blinding.
To take the most obvious example: he still believes that “agree” is objectively the incorrect response to the statement “Third World workers working for American companies overseas are being exploited” — as if exploited were not a loaded word, and as if one cannot believe both that Third World workers are exploited and that they are better off with American companies in their country than without.
They’re both better off and exploited? That’s some fine economic analysis, to be certain.
