Survival of the Richest Turfholders, Not the Fittest Individuals

In any species, occupants of superior habitats enjoy extra food, or better shelter, or better mating opportunities. This reduces survival pressure,allowing many varieties to thrive despite apparently “unfit” features. Only recently have ecologists recognized the impact of inherited wealth in animal societies. . . . → Read More: Survival of the Richest Turfholders, Not the Fittest Individuals

Henry George: Prophet of the Gilded Age

In 1873, Mark Twain published his satirical novel, The Gilded Age, an era magnificently recreated in all its greed, ruthlessness and ostentation in the new HBO series of the same name. Railroads were the hot investment of the day, fueling a frenzy of land speculation. In September of that year, a big New York City bank suddenly went bankrupt. Bank runs began across the country, railroads failed, businesses cut wages and laid off workers. The police beat up unemployed protesters. A young San Francisco journalist, Henry George, struggled to keep his newspaper going and his family fed. Appalled by the suffering he witnessed, he sat down to write a book that would change the world: Progress and Poverty (1879). . . . → Read More: Henry George: Prophet of the Gilded Age