[lbo-talk] How come nobody talks about the New socialist senator

[Michael McIntyre]

I do remember that, quite a few years ago now, during my introduction  
to rational choice theory Jon Elster called our attention to a  
psychology experiment demonstrating that, when exposed to a fixed  
game, only depressed participants were able to identify the game as  
fixed.  Which, of course, didn't get them anywhere . . . but at least  
they knew why they weren't getting anywhere.  This, of course, raises  
the causality question.  Does depression cause the ability to  
perceive a grim reality accurately . . . or does the ability to  
perceive a grim reality accurately cause depression?

I run into this phenomenon every time I try to argue that the whole  
notion of "strategic voting" is nonsense, even among political  
scientists who should know better.  It's elementary, but no one  
believes it.

Michael McIntyre
mcintyremichael at mac.com

http://morbidsymptoms.blogspot.com

On Nov 8, 2006, at 7:48 PM, Doug Henwood wrote:


> Carrol sometimes confuses the symptoms of depression with a  
> political outlook. Which may be more accurate, but it's still not  
> going to get us anywhere.
>
> Doug
>
> On Nov 8, 2006, at 6:55 PM, tfast wrote:
>
>> Sometimes I think the left needs a variant viagra to deal with  
>> premature
>> defeat syndrome.
>>
>> Travis W Fast
>>> Carrol
>>> Can anyone tell me how one socialist in the Senate can even add one
>>> kopeck to a ruble for one unemployed person in the u.s.? I mean,  
>>> why all
>>> the excitement over what would be _at most_ a purely symbolic  
>>> 'victory'
>>> for the left, any kind of left.
>>>
>>> Carrol
>>> ___________________________________
>>> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
>>
>> ___________________________________
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>
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