Profile picture
Noah Smith @Noahpinion
, 4 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
"Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them."
- David Hume, 18th century Enlightenment philosopher

"Facts don't care about your feelings."
- Ben Shapiro, 21st century right-wing media pugilist
"Facts are the enemy of truth."
- Miguel de Cervantes
Personally, I'm prescriptively in favor of objectivity but descriptively accepting of subjectivity. I think we should strive to get the facts, but will always fail, thanks to our feelings...
But I've sometimes wavered about the prescriptive objectivity thing.

It might occasionally be useful to believe in fantasy, if you can actually make yourself believe in fantasy.

But that seems like playing with fire...
Missing some Tweet in this thread?
You can try to force a refresh.

Like this thread? Get email updates or save it to PDF!

Subscribe to Noah Smith
Profile picture

Get real-time email alerts when new unrolls are available from this author!

This content may be removed anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Noahpinion see all

Profile picture
Hey, everybody! Today's post is about MMT, and about government budget deficits, and about what happens if you keep running infinite budget deficits.

bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
A theory called MMT (a new name, but not a new idea) is rapidly gaining currency (heh) among some segments of the left, especially the DSA. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has spoken highly of it.

businessinsider.com/alexandria-oca…
MMT's central idea is that the government has no budget constraint. And, therefore, that you don't need taxes to pay for government spending.
Read 22 tweets
Profile picture
The core of the Green New Deal - a huge industrial policy push for green energy that will also directly employ a lot of working-class Americans - is a very centrist idea, and not a new idea by any means.
That core idea is a GREAT one. And we absolutely NEED to do it.

But I think we shouldn't package that core idea with pie-in-the-sky income redistribution that has little to do with climate change:
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
Also note that the Green New Deal has a little-discussed third idea - environmental justice - which is REALLY important, and is the single most under-emphasized idea on the left today.

bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
Read 4 tweets
Profile picture
Good point by @jbarro about MMT:
nymag.com/intelligencer/…
I find that MMT proponents tend to imply - but only their most dedicated, aggressive internet trolls explicitly state - that inflation is an impossible thing, and not worth worrying about at all.

And given recent experience in America and Japan, people will believe it.
BUT, as Barro notes, MMT is helping push back against the more entrenched and even more intuitive fallacy of austerianism.
Read 4 tweets

Related threads

Profile picture
SO @MzenziNM claims I "stole his idea", he has been all over my timeline trolling with his chums abt a message he sent to me on the 19th December 2018 (21 Days Ago) so here are the #FACTS.

1: 19th December was easily one of the most brutal days at #FIAB as we were closing 20th
2: The LYTEE app (initially called GOPHER / MFANA till we changed) Was first discussed by myself and Pastor @seanmullens in Nov, as a growth using #FIAB tech that @afrikancoder @twenty_tin and Mzie have been already working on! same code, but send people not veg. 👇Video 1st Dec
3: I get literally 1000 messages a day, in my DM and in the filtered with people with "IDEAS". The most polite thing to do is BE POLITE! "cool" "awesome" "dope" are my usual "PROGRAMMED RESPONSES" Below is the CANNED response he got like everyone else.
Read 9 tweets
Profile picture
Bent on growth, Zuck & Sandberg ignored warning signs about their platform being used by Russia and then sought to conceal them from public view.
nytimes.com/2018/11/14/tec…
This report is based on interviews w more than 50 current & former Fb execs & employees, lawmakers, govt officials, lobbyists & congressional staff members. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity because they had signed NDAs, were not authorized, or feared retaliation.
At critical moments over the last three years, Sandberg & Zuck were distracted by personal projects, and passed off security and policy decisions to subordinates, according to current and former executives.
Read 112 tweets
Profile picture
This was recorded 8 months ago!!! on Feb 28, 2018.
WATCH‼️
by StopTheCrime[.]net NEW
Plan to Burn up Northern California Disclosed
@POTUS @realDonaldTrump knows what he is talking about‼️
CA Gov. Jerry Brown Vetoed 2016 Wildfire Management Bill While CA Burned - November 12, 2018
reaganbabe.com/california/ca-…
11/3/17 - Exclusive Interview with Fire Captain on Origins of CA Fires
by aplanetruth.info
Read 6 tweets
Profile picture
(1) The only time Democrats care about the US citizens of Puerto Rico is when they can make political hay out of them.

At all other times they ignore the territory & it's extreme poverty, economic dependency, & rampant political corruption.

Hurricane Maria deaths estimate.
(2) Watching hurricanes #Katrina & #Harvey from afar was an experience that radicalized me to become a Hurricane Watcher, focusing on storms affecting the US. Harvey had the potential to be another Katrina. Thanks to sterling work at all levels, Katrina-level tragedy was averted.
(3) The fact is, #Harvey, #Irma, & #Maria were handled well by local, state/territory, & federal government. Far Left Democrats FEEL that Maria wasn't, but Far Left Democrats feel a lot of things, especially since the #TDS pandemic outbreak on 11/8/16.
Read 19 tweets
Profile picture
Team @collectchat is currently working out of Bali. Promoting #RemoteWork culture and #DigitalNomad path ✈️🏕️ 🏖️

I will be posting pictures of our workplaces every day 👨‍💻

#WorkHardFromAnywhere #TodaysOffice #Workplace #OfficeForTheDay #Bali
Day 1

#WorkHardFromAnywhere #TodaysOffice #RemoteWork #OfficeForTheDay
Day 2

#WorkHardFromAnywhere #TodaysOffice #RemoteWork #OfficeForTheDay
Read 24 tweets
Profile picture
1/
 One of my favorite writers @ Caitoz

who I won't "Tag" in this Tweetstorm
because it will mess up her mentions

wrote an article about the Lying CIA, Coup, and Iran

I snarked back about Obama's 180 Bil
she didn't like that
but
I've read her article

medium.com/@caityjohnston…
2/
 One of the reasons
I thoroughly enjoy @ Caitoz
and strongly recommend her
is that she takes no prisoners, states her opinions, and provides facts

However, I dispute her version of Iran

So we shall discuss

medium.com/@caityjohnston…
3/
 Is @ caitoz Right"
She said I was spreading Falsehoods?

TBH, let's find out
If I can't provide a counter-arguments w/facts and sources
then that is upto to you to decide

But I will now review her article

"Line-By-Bloody-Line"

medium.com/@caityjohnston…
Read 48 tweets

Trending hashtags

#AntiXY #collusion #gender #Vulgarisation #NoDealsForTreason #Republic #BreakingNews #Slave #ca #Communist #Jew #assemblage #ClimateChange #Inspiration #NusaPenida #kakistocracies #ThePoliticiansKnewAllAlong #PutinTroll #Immigration #injustice #asylum #fakejournalists #Bali #censorship #SeanHannity

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member and get exclusive features!

Premium member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year)

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!