Christopher X J. Jensen
Professor, Pratt Institute

There are plenty of organs out there: more altruism would end the social dilemma of who gets available organs

Posted 29 May 2012 / 0

NPR Planet Money “Who Decides Whether This 26-Year-Old Woman Gets A Lung Transplant?” Although this feature does make some interesting observations about the economic dilemmas associated with donated organ assignment, it misses the bigger picture: if everyone elected to donate their organs upon death, increased supply would diminish a lot of the dilemma.

A Minor Post, Altruism, Radio & Podcasts, Social Norms

Economic Whales and their Parasites

Posted 27 May 2012 / 0

Today’s New York Times Business section features an interesting article on the recent JPMorgan multi-billion loss. Entitled “The Hunch, the Pounce and the Kill: How Boaz Weinstein and Hedge Funds Outsmarted JPMorgan“, the article explains how a risk-prone hedge fund manager named Boaz Weinstein was able to exploit errors by JPMorgan and end up on Read More

Articles, Economic sustainability, Economics, Ethics, Parasitism, Public Policy, Social Capital, System Stability

More flatfish transitional fossils found

Posted 27 May 2012 / 0

LiveScience “Missing Link For Wonky-Eyed Fish Discovered“

A Minor Post, Fossil Data

Human limits extended one step further as wingsuit diver lands without a parachute

Posted 23 May 2012 / 0

The New York Times “Wing-Suited Stuntman Takes a Super-Hero Plunge” Sky News “Skydiver Becomes First To Land Without Chute“

A Minor Post, Cultural Evolution, Human limits, Play

Will invasive truffles become the bane of European epicures?

Posted 23 May 2012 / 0

Smithsonian Magazine “Truffle Trouble in Europe: The Invader Without Flavor“

A Minor Post, Economics, Invasive Species

Larry Arnhart reviews E.O. Wilson’s “The Social Conquest of Earth”

Posted 21 May 2012 / 0

Darwinian Conservatism “Darwinian Natural Right in E. O. Wilson’s New Book” One of the most interesting issues raised by this post has to do with “evolutionary ethics” and that question of whether there is a natural morality. I would caution against confusing this issue with the “naturalistic fallacy”, which to me has to do with Read More

A Minor Post, Cooperation, Ethics, Social Norms, Web

David Sloan Wilson differentiates “Evolutionary Religious Studies” from “The New Atheism”

Posted 21 May 2012 / 0

Huffington Post David Sloan Wilson “The New Atheism and Evolutionary Religious Studies: Clarifying Their Relationship” It might surprise you which discipline is more scientific in their approach!

A Minor Post, Cultural Evolution, Evolution, Religion, Social Norms

Can environmentalists and the religious faithful work together to preserve creation?

Posted 21 May 2012 / 0

Star Tribune “Conservationists can learn a lot from religion“

A Minor Post, Conservation Biology, Religion, Sustainability

Are the most lucrative components of the financial sector parasites on the larger economy?

Posted 21 May 2012 / 0

Marketplace “High-frequency trading: Bad for markets… and the soul?“

A Minor Post, Economic sustainability, Economics, Parasitism, Radio & Podcasts

How fast do anthropogenic impacts get amplified up the food chain? Ask a bluefin!

Posted 19 May 2012 / 0

Marketplace Sustainability “Radiated tuna splashes up in California“

A Minor Post, Community Ecology, Pollution, Radio & Podcasts