Posted on 11/12/2015 12:23:37 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
A market economy is a tool for securing human welfare and promoting human freedom. It may or may not be effective at those things, but either way, that's what it is: a tool. Sadly, the contemporary Republican Party has elevated that tool into a religion, bowing before it and disparaging those who don't.
We need some philosophers to scrutinize that religion's dogmas, and we need some welders to help dismantle its gaudy temples.
Last night, as I listened to the Republican debate, I was surprised to hear my own profession called out by name. I am a professor of philosophy. Accordingly, I was taken aback when I heard Marco Rubio's assertion that welders make more than philosophers. This claim is false.
But even if it were true, it would not show, as Rubio seems to think it does, that our country needs more welders and fewer philosophers. For that supposes that the social worth of a profession tracks the market price it commands in the current economy. And this too is false.
It is false for at least two reasons. First, it is false because current market prices are distorted by a wide range of diseconomies that have funneled virtually all gains from the recovery into the pockets of the wealthiest Americans. The US economy shovels massive externalities - costs and risks that fall on those who don't incur them - onto working people, future generations, and the natural environment, while the wealthy few hoard the benefits. One particularly important case is carbon pollution. Because market prices do not reflect these externalities, all prices in the economy are distorted, including the price of labor and the prices of the machines that replace human labor. So there is no reason to think that the price my labor commands in the current economy is the price my labor would command in an actual market - an economy where costs were internalized, that is, paid by those who produce them. The day I hear Republicans talk about making polluters pay is the day I'll begin to believe that they care about genuinely free markets.
But even if we made it so that rich people could not offload costs onto poor people, it would still not be the case that the social worth of a profession would be determined by the price its members could command on a market. Market prices reflect supply and demand. If there is a glut of X and a shortage of Y, the price of X goes down and that of Y goes up. It has nothing to do with the social worth of either thing. Worth is a completely different issue; English teachers, social workers, poets, and of course, Republican presidential candidates, are currently in higher supply than demand; this diminishes their wages and employment opportunities in these fields, but it says nothing at all about their social role or value.
It works in the other direction, too. "Avatar" was not the best film ever, even though it was the highest-grossing. Of the 10 biggest team payrolls in Major League Baseball, six failed to make the playoffs; neither team in the World Series was higher than 16th. Nor was "casino mogul and reality TV star" the most socially worthwhile profession represented on last night's stage, but Donald Trump was indeed the wealthiest person up there. Carly Fiorina - incidentally, a philosophy major - was the second, but many HP investors doubt her business acumen. Parking lot attendants earn about the same wage as childcare workers, but even Marco Rubio would not think that cars are as valuable as children.
Why would anyone confuse these obviously different things - market value and social worth? What kind of person would assume without justification or explanation that an endeavor (or a person's) value, derives solely from the amount of money it can make?
A market economy is a tool for securing human welfare and promoting human freedom. It may or may not be effective at those things, but either way, that's what it is: a tool. Sadly, the contemporary Republican Party has elevated that tool into a religion, bowing before it and disparaging those who don't.
We need some philosophers to scrutinize that religion's dogmas, and we need some welders to help dismantle its gaudy temples.
And we need to pay both the philosophers and the welders a living wage.
Welders produce a useful product. Philosophers produce BS.
Well the headline is right. Rubio is ignorant. He is also GOPe.
Rubio has earned one ATTABOY for this one LOL
What is the AVERAGE salary for all welders?
A market economy is a tool for securing human welfare and promoting human freedom. It may or may not be effective at those things, but either way, that's what it is: a tool. Sadly, the contemporary Republican Party has elevated that tool into a religion, bowing before it and disparaging those who don't.
We need some philosophers to scrutinize that religion's dogmas, and we need some welders to help dismantle its gaudy temples.
Versus:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...."
A philosopher that does not know welders “join” things ain’t too smart, IMHO.
This morning as I stepped out on the deck with my coffee I noted once more the changing relationship between the morning stars Mars and Venus. I wondered at how I find it fascinating that while I know the “truth” behind the “mystery” I rarely exercise my observance of the connection between my knowledge and reality. Sure, I know the planets orbit the sun and remember well the lessons I learned in Physics of Tyco Brahe and Kepler but how often is it I step out and see for myself how what is observed that seems at a glance to be unexplainable is, in fact, real. Venus, plodding, limited, predictable, constant while Mars fleet, dim, now bright, sweeping wide. What contrast and entirely understandable by connecting what I know with what I observe.
It strikes me libtards like this “perfesser” have a problem that can be illustrated by my simile. They fail to connect what they “know” to reality because it can’t be done but this does not bother them and, like the folks who persecuted Galileo, will hound and destroy anyone who has the temerity to point this out.
I imagine that there are many unemployed “philosophers” but employers are pleading for welders.
Check out Alaska - $31K to $53K Median: $41K
http://www1.salary.com/AK/Welder-I-salary.html
_____________
Welding Careers
Ignite new career possibilities: discover welding
From skyscrapers to cars to bridges - welding shapes lives and communities every day. In fact, most people are surprised to learn that half of our nation’s total gross national product includes welding work, products and services of some kind. Amazing, right?
You might also be surprised to discover that a career in welding is very different than you think. These roles are dynamic and challenging. They offer you rewarding opportunities to harness new knowledge; scientific principles; and today’s most advanced technologies.
High tech and high skilled
Welding technology has changed dramatically. Many younger, technology-geared students are drawn to welding worksites where teams frequently work with lasers, robotics, computer programming and other complex technologies. In addition to welders, many other professional-level experts are needed, from certified inspectors and engineers to specialized sales teams.
Too many jobs: not enough welders
From manufacturing to construction the demand for welders is strong. Salaries are also good, given that many jobs don’t require extensive education. Average wages are $17-25 an hour, with more complex roles like underwater welding; specialized certifications; or supervisory roles offering even higher earnings.
At present, the top-demand markets are Houston, the Gulf States, North Dakota and Coastal Virginia....these are where you’ll find the most jobs.
Ocean depths to outer space
Welders work everywhere...deep beneath the ocean surface to the top of our universe....and many exciting spaces in-between.
Career advancement throughout many industries is just a certification away
There are many avenues for those wanting to advance: inspectors, supervisors, educators, radiographic interpreters, sales teams, engineers and many more industry roles.
http://www.aws.org/weldingcareers
The American Welding Society has revealed it will face a shortage of 400,000 operators by 2024. There is a combined problem of an ageing population of current welders and a lack of new workers with complete skill sets.
https://www.premierwelding.co.uk/a/welding-skills-shortage-a-real-issue
If Trump is able to send the ILLEGAL Welders back home, I can promise you the remaining American Welders will do just fine, and it wouldn’t surprise me to find this babe sending her kids to Welding School, as opposed to having them study Fraud in her basement, into their 40s.
Well at least this Leftist here got a single fact correct. The O regimes crony capitalism pretending to be "stimulus" spending did nothing to restore the US Economy, it merely made his fat cat campaign donors richer.
Bravo, a brilliant piece of work
This “philosopher” keeps discussing a concept “social worth” that does not exist.
For it to exist it must be measurable and constant. That is, what one person sees as the “social worth” of anything must be what everyone sees as the “social worth” of that same thing.
Since what he sees as having “social worth” is what I see as having no value what so ever, even having negative value, therefore “social worth” becomes merely another way to say “opinion”.
In my opinion, this guy’s “social worth” is the same as that of used toilet paper.
Consider this argument for the value of philosophy from one of the strongest advocates for liberty and freedom in the twentieth century:
“You have no choice about the necessity to integrate your observations, your experiences, your knowledge into abstract ideas, i.e., into principles. Your only choice is whether these principles are true or false, whether they represent your conscious, rational convictions—or a grab-bag of notions snatched at random, whose sources, validity, and consequences you do not know, notions which, more often than not, you would drop like a hot potato if you knew.”
(Ayn Rand, “Philosophy: Who Needs It”)
My GAYDAR is off the charts!!!
The billions of tons of calcium carbonite (limestone) on/in the earth are fossils of the carbon dioxide which was extracted from the atmosphere when the concentration of CO2 was much higher than what you say will be a nightmare scenario from the combustion of carbon now and in the immediate future. Yet earth’s plant life, upon which we subsist, depends on an adequate CO2 concentration.
Let us be clear: the issue is not whether the highest paid philosopher under current conditions is better paid than the highest paid welder under current conditions. The issue is whether training people who wish to be welders to be philosophers instead will not result in validating Rubio’s assertion. Let alone what would happen if all would-be welders are instead subjected to philosophy education . . .Be careful what you ask for; you might get it. Remember Ted Cruz’ point about an unlimited number of journalists flooding the country.
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