Scott Locklin

image of Scott Locklin

Scott Locklin works on quantitative finance problems in Berkeley, California, but has lately been considering emigrating to America.


Evolution

Christian Science

Christian Science

I’m not religious, nor am I a proponent of intelligent design (ID). But I am amused by

Real Estate

Fantasy Island, Libertarian Style

Fantasy Island, Libertarian Style

The modern age offers no refuge from the state. The world’s habitable unpopulated

All About Me

Digging Up My Roots With a Cyber-Shovel

Digging Up My Roots With a Cyber-Shovel

In The Odyssey, Theoclymenus asks of Telemachus, “Among men, who are you? Tell me

Education

Old English v. New Elites

Old English v. New Elites

Intelligent people worry that our new “meritocratic” elite may become a hereditary

Ahhh!!!

The Corporate Personhood Delusion

The Corporate Personhood Delusion

Across the nation, the question resounds: “Are corporations people?” To a man of strict

Politics

Why Democrats Lost the Redneck Vote

Why Democrats Lost the Redneck Vote

From Francis Fukuyama to Barack Obama to The New Yorker, nobody to the left of Joe

Lit Crit

The Neocons’ Intellectual Codpiece

The Neocons’ Intellectual Codpiece

My first exposure to Straussian ideas was in college via a photocopy handout of

Knock Off

Consumer Culture’s Top Five Failures

Consumer Culture’s Top Five Failures

This is the time of year when we celebrate the national religion of consumerism. Future

Tech Overload

The Golden Dodo Bird in the Sky

The Golden Dodo Bird in the Sky

The F-35 is the latest marvel brought to us by the military-industrial complex. It’s

Commerce

The Problem With Global Finance

The Problem With Global Finance

The present European financial crisis seems absurdly complicated to the outside

Rocket Science

Gaia-Unfriendly

Gaia-Unfriendly

A few years ago I received a telephone call from a college fundraising creep looking

Bravery Hurts

Never Trust Anyone Who Hasn’t Been Punched in the Face

Never Trust Anyone Who Hasn’t Been Punched in the Face

Conservatives like to talk about the causes of Western Civilization’s downfall:

Blogosphere

Twilight of the Skeptics

Twilight of the Skeptics

One of the things I miss about academia is the spectacle of alleged savants fighting

Public Nuisances

Tips for Big Babies

Tips for Big Babies

While I’m all for increased awareness of modern America’s sexual dimorphism crisis,

Vile Bodies

In Praise of Hypocrisy

In Praise of Hypocrisy

“Hypocrisie est un hommage que la vice rend à la vertu.” La Rochefoucauld was right.

Home Front

Robocrap

Robocrap

The Detroit RoboCop statue is a fitting cenotaph for the end of America, a goofy metal

History

My Dinner With Vilfredo Pareto

My Dinner With Vilfredo Pareto

My list of historical personages I’d invite to a dinner party doesn’t include any of

Tech Overload

Google as Fat Elvis

Google as Fat Elvis

Every company—no matter how trendy or cool, no matter how many Goth girls on

Women

Miss…or Mr. America?

Miss…or Mr. America?

The 2011 Miss America contest provides an object lesson in the decline of American

Moolah

Standing Up to the Oligarchs

Standing Up to the Oligarchs

Much ink has been spilled scapegoating the various newfangled nerdy types known as

History

When Man Invented Science

When Man Invented Science

Pope Benedict’s trip to Ole Blighty is over, and that sanctimonious gasbag Dawkins

Sex

AskMen.com’s Top Babes: Ravishing or Roadkill?

AskMen.com’s Top Babes: Ravishing or Roadkill?

Every year, AskMen.com comes out with a list of the “top 99 most desirable women.”

Zeitgeist

Stuff White People Like

Stuff White People Like

A Genealogy of Morals One of my fundamental beliefs about culture and humanity is that

History

The Dawn of Decadence

The Dawn of Decadence

One of the wheezes I get from my leftist friends in Berkeley is how highly evolved

Zeitgeist

The Myth of Technological Progress

The Myth of Technological Progress

Many of you will still be alive in 50 years. It’s interesting to think about what life

Zeitgeist

Chauvinism for Sissies

Chauvinism for Sissies

Mad Men is one of those historical TV shows which is pleasant to look at, but has