Defending big business against its critics (Tyler Cowen)

Abstract

The podcast Rationally Speaking, hosted by Julia Galef, features Tyler Cowen, an economist, blogger, and author, as its guest. In the episode, Cowen discusses his book Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Antihero. The podcast examines the recent criticisms levied against big business, and Cowen argues that these criticisms are often based on anthropomorphic, personal, and ultimately unfair expectations of businesses. He further argues that, while some critiques of big businesses are warranted, many are not. Cowen explores the relationship between slow productivity growth and declining wage growth. He challenges commonly-held criticisms of market concentration, claiming that it has not generally had a negative effect on consumers. He discusses the implications of his views on The Complacent Class and explores the role of Straussianism in his writing. Cowen also explores the concept of techno-optimism, arguing that it is important for driving innovation and economic growth. He discusses his views on longtermism and how they differ from the views of fellow intellectual Rob Wiblin. – AI-generated abstract.