Tyler Cowen
Economist at George Mason University, co-author of Marginal Revolution, host of Conversations with Tyler. Writes in short, dense claims about economics, culture and AI, and has moved position on AI in public more than once.
Tyler Cowen did not write this page. ppll compiled it from their own words, each linked to the source. Is this you? · Report a mistake
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What they believe
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Robert E. Hall is the greatest commentator on other people’s work of all time.
Second, Bob is the greatest commentator on other people’s work of all time.
marginalrevolution.comSaid 12 Oct 2026This on korrents
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Fuchsia Dunlop's works are among the best books period.
Her works are not just great cookbooks, they are among the best books period.
marginalrevolution.comSaid 11 Oct 2026This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These 2: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
Feed
As its own page →Hiding
14 October
12 October
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Their words
Second, Bob is the greatest commentator on other people’s work of all time.
11 October
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Their words
Her works are not just great cookbooks, they are among the best books period.
30 September
28 September
From one piece Bundesrepublik Deutschland 3 beliefs · marginalrevolution.com
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Their words
So many policy mistakes have been made. So much leadership lost in the areas mentioned above. So much pessimism, sadly a lot of it seems to be justified.
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Their words
By the 1980s, living standards had caught up to the United States, with the provision of public goods sometimes superior. The country was fully democratic, pro-Western, and largely pro-American. Their rail system and postal service were amongst the best ever created.
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Their words
At times we forget what an amazing wonder the Bundesrepublik Deutschland was. At the end of the World War II, Germany was one of the sickest and cruelest human societies in history, ever. Not too many years later, it was one of the best and most successful societies ever.
26 September
From one piece A doomsday scenario for American AI 2 beliefs · marginalrevolution.com
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Their words
In my view, successful societies accept challenges and meet them. Solving problems, bit by bit, is the best way to ensure that we have the capabilities to meet big and truly existential risks, should those risks come along.
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Their words
Many people panicked about the possibility of strong AI models killing us all. That fear was not based on peer-reviewed scientific research showing a high chance of doom, nor was doom indicated in any market prices of the time, including measures of risk.
25 September
From one piece Armenia notes 2 beliefs · marginalrevolution.com
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Their words
Armenia is not dirt cheap, but it is much cheaper than most of Europe and so can be considered a bargain in relative terms.
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Their words
You could say the country has maintained the (few) strengths of the former Soviet Union, and is arguably the only place that has.
23 September
22 September
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Their words
The policy creates a big incentive for some other parts of the world to invest a lot more in compute.
Banning self-recursive improvement in AI models?marginalrevolution.com
16 September
From one piece When discussing AI policy, start with China 3 beliefs · marginalrevolution.com
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Their words
We need much more effort in this direction, and I hope this subfield rises in status rapidly.
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Their words
If you are reading proposals or for that matter tweets for AI regulation, and the writer does not deal with these China issues in a forthright and very specific manner, you should be very suspicious indeed.
When discussing AI policy, start with Chinamarginalrevolution.com
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korrents.com
China declined U.S. nuclear-talk proposals in 2023 and broke off meaningful arms control talks.Their words
During the 2023 U.S.-China nuclear talks, America proposed missile-launch notifications, a nuclear crisis hotline, and processes to limit the use of outer space for military conflict. China declined all of those. Blame the U.S. if you wish (do we always keep our word?), but that is what happened. China also broke off meaningful arms control talks.
When discussing AI policy, start with Chinamarginalrevolution.com
+ 1 more
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korrents.com
AI policy discussions should start with China rather than treating it as an afterthought.Their words
Whatever your ideas for regulating AI, I say start with China. Do not put China as an afterthought at the end of your proposal, mentioned in a vague wish that something good ought to happen and that maybe the future of humanity can be secured.
When discussing AI policy, start with Chinamarginalrevolution.com
14 September
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korrents.com
Over time the allocation of humans to tasks will evolve so that more humans become more productive, not less.Their words
Do note that over time the allocation of humans to tasks will evolve so that more of the humans become more productive, not less.
Does AI assistance enhance or erode expertise?marginalrevolution.com
9 September
2 September
19 August
12 August
8 August
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Lovedrcmnd.app
Wireheads: An Unnatural History of Technology in the BrainTheir words
An excellent book, substantive on every page, and it will make you want to read some of the works he cites.
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Lovedrcmnd.app
From the Front Line, Stalingrad-Treblinka-Berlin 1941-1945Their words
Self-recommending, the best third of this volume is just stunningly good.
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Recommendsrcmnd.app
Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold SeasonTheir words
I usually do not enjoy poetry in translation, but this is so fiery and full of passion that I am happy to recommend it.
+ 2 more
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Mixed onrcmnd.app
NadjaTheir words
It is short, and fun enough to read.
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Lovedrcmnd.app
Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman EmpireTheir words
A very good and aggressively readable book about how terrible slavery was in the Roman Empire.
5 August
22 July
15 July
8 July
1 July
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Likedrcmnd.app
So You Want to Own Greenland?Their words
A useful and dispassionate overview of the relevant history and issues.
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Their words
This book meets her usual high standards.
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Mixed onrcmnd.app
The Shortest History of IrelandTheir words
From a useful series, even if some of the claims are wrong and the judgments intemperate.
+ 1 more
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Their words
An engaging book about the beauties of stonemasonry, with case studies of Venice, Angkor Wat, Lalibela, Zimbabwe and other locales.
24 June
22 June
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Their words
Allison Schrager is very good, including her new book Worth the Risk: The Seven Myths that Keep Us from Taking the Chances We Need to Take
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Lovedrcmnd.app
James Joyce: A Political LifeTheir words
An excellent book, and it truly induces us to revalue Joyce and understand him in a new light.
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Their words
Justin Gest, Democratic Drain: Global Migration and the Struggle for Democracy is a political economy argument that widespread immigration can drain home countries of their democracy supporters to some extent.
+ 3 more
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Their words
Daniel Susskind, What Should My Children Do?: How to Flourish in the Age of AI is a book that needed to be written.
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Likedrcmnd.app
Demographic Headwinds: The Economic Consequences of Lower Birth Rates and Longer LivesTheir words
A short volume, to the point, worry is in order.
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Their words
And there is Jeremy A. Simmons, Sea of Treasures: A Cultural History of Ancient Indian Ocean Trade
17 June
10 June
Nothing matches.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 57 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
Each is a — compiled by korrents.com, not by them: the one-line wordings are korrents', the quotes are theirs.
Recent
Robert E. Hall is the greatest commentator on other people’s work of all time.
Second, Bob is the greatest commentator on other people’s work of all time.
Robert E. Hall, Nobel Laureate Said 12 Oct 2026
Fuchsia Dunlop's works are among the best books period.
Her works are not just great cookbooks, they are among the best books period.
What should I ask Fuchsia Dunlop? Said 11 Oct 2026
The Bundesrepublik Deutschland was an amazing and successful society.
At times we forget what an amazing wonder the Bundesrepublik Deutschland was. At the end of the World War II, Germany was one of the sickest and cruelest human societies in history, ever. Not too many years later, it was one of the best and most successful societies ever.
Bundesrepublik Deutschland Said 28 Sept 2026
Show 54 more
By the 1980s, West Germany had caught up to US living standards, with its provision of public goods sometimes superior.
By the 1980s, living standards had caught up to the United States, with the provision of public goods sometimes superior. The country was fully democratic, pro-Western, and largely pro-American. Their rail system and postal service were amongst the best ever created.
Bundesrepublik Deutschland Said 28 Sept 2026
Post-unification Germany has made many policy mistakes and lost much former leadership, and much pessimism about it seems justified.
So many policy mistakes have been made. So much leadership lost in the areas mentioned above. So much pessimism, sadly a lot of it seems to be justified.
Bundesrepublik Deutschland Said 28 Sept 2026
Fear of strong AI models killing everyone was not based on peer-reviewed research showing high doom odds, nor indicated by market prices.
Many people panicked about the possibility of strong AI models killing us all. That fear was not based on peer-reviewed scientific research showing a high chance of doom, nor was doom indicated in any market prices of the time, including measures of risk.
A doomsday scenario for American AI Said 26 Sept 2026
Successful societies accept challenges and solve problems bit by bit, which best builds capabilities to meet existential risks should they arise.
In my view, successful societies accept challenges and meet them. Solving problems, bit by bit, is the best way to ensure that we have the capabilities to meet big and truly existential risks, should those risks come along.
A doomsday scenario for American AI Said 26 Sept 2026
One could say Armenia has maintained the few strengths of the former Soviet Union, and it is arguably the only place that has.
You could say the country has maintained the (few) strengths of the former Soviet Union, and is arguably the only place that has.
Armenia notes Said 25 Sept 2026
Armenia is significantly cheaper than most of Europe, making it a relative bargain.
Armenia is not dirt cheap, but it is much cheaper than most of Europe and so can be considered a bargain in relative terms.
Armenia notes Said 25 Sept 2026
A ban on self-recursive improvement in AI models would create a big incentive for some other parts of the world to invest a lot more in compute.
The policy creates a big incentive for some other parts of the world to invest a lot more in compute.
Banning self-recursive improvement in AI models? Said 22 Sept 2026
AI policy discussions should start with China rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Whatever your ideas for regulating AI, I say start with China. Do not put China as an afterthought at the end of your proposal, mentioned in a vague wish that something good ought to happen and that maybe the future of humanity can be secured.
When discussing AI policy, start with China Said 16 Sept 2026
China declined U.S. nuclear-talk proposals in 2023 and broke off meaningful arms control talks.
During the 2023 U.S.-China nuclear talks, America proposed missile-launch notifications, a nuclear crisis hotline, and processes to limit the use of outer space for military conflict. China declined all of those. Blame the U.S. if you wish (do we always keep our word?), but that is what happened. China also broke off meaningful arms control talks.
When discussing AI policy, start with China Said 16 Sept 2026
AI regulation proposals that do not address China issues specifically and forthrightly should be treated with suspicion.
If you are reading proposals or for that matter tweets for AI regulation, and the writer does not deal with these China issues in a forthright and very specific manner, you should be very suspicious indeed.
When discussing AI policy, start with China Said 16 Sept 2026
Much more research effort is needed on the economics of cyber risk, such as estimating future costs of AI cyberattacks, and the subfield should rise in status.
We need much more effort in this direction, and I hope this subfield rises in status rapidly.
The economics of cyber risk Said 16 Sept 2026
Over time the allocation of humans to tasks will evolve so that more humans become more productive, not less.
Do note that over time the allocation of humans to tasks will evolve so that more of the humans become more productive, not less.
Does AI assistance enhance or erode expertise? Said 14 Sept 2026
RCTs have the disadvantage of requiring too many things to be held constant and can miss longer-term adjustment benefits.
RCTs somehow have the odd disadvantage of requiring too many things to be held constant, and so they can miss the benefits of longer-term adjustments.
Does AI assistance enhance or erode expertise? Said 14 Sept 2026
In a simple model of AI-aided growth, intelligence and Polanyi knowledge are mostly complements, with fairly limited substitutability in producing output.
In the model, intelligence and Polanyi knowledge combine to produce output. Substitutability is fairly limited. For instance, if you have problems of norms in your office, a mere dose of AI-drenched technocratic knowledge does not usually solve those problems. Sometimes it even can make those problems worse, by empowering rent-seekers further. Intelligence and Polanyi knowledge are not quite Leontief complements, but they are mostly complements.
A simple model of AI-aided economic growth Said 13 Sept 2026
The core prediction is that a huge positive shock to AI-boosted Intelligence increases marginal returns, employment, and real wages in the Polanyi (tacit) knowledge sector.
Now recently the U.S. economy has experienced a huge positive shock to its Intelligence, with more to come. The core prediction is that this increases marginal returns, employment, and real wages in the Polanyi knowledge sector.
A simple model of AI-aided economic growth Said 13 Sept 2026
In this model, commandeering the Intelligence sector would give much more limited power over society than might appear at first, because necessary complements are lacking.
In this model, if someone or something could “commandeer” the Intelligence sector, their power over society would be much more limited than it might appear at first. The world does not change that much at first, because the necessary complements are lacking.
A simple model of AI-aided economic growth Said 13 Sept 2026
AI is expected to bring enormous benefits to economic science, even if current practitioners cannot foresee most of them.
I expect the benefits to economic science from AI will be enormous, even if current practitioners cannot foresee most of those benefits today.
The mathematicians rebel against AI Said 12 Sept 2026
Funding for mathematics and interest in the topic are expected to rise considerably, at least in the medium term.
I expect the funding for mathematics, and the interest in the topic, to rise considerably, at least in the medium term.
The mathematicians rebel against AI Said 12 Sept 2026
In expected value terms, it seems Christ made an enormous difference.
It still seems in expected value terms, Christ made an enormous difference.
My very interesting Conversation with Jared Diamond Said 10 Sept 2026
Muhammad is one of the three or four most consequential leaders ever.
Thus, Muhammad is one of the three or four most consequential leaders ever.
My very interesting Conversation with Jared Diamond Said 10 Sept 2026
While the money premium from college is falling, the friends and marriage premium from college is going up and will probably rise further.
while the money premium from college is falling, the friends and marriage premium from college is going up and probably will rise further still.
Reasons to go to college Said 9 Sept 2026
Going to college makes less sense at the margin than it did seven or eight years ago.
I do think going to college makes less sense, at the margin, than it did say seven or eight years ago
Reasons to go to college Said 9 Sept 2026
Cyber insurance prices can be expected to rise somewhat, though why they have kept falling is far from obvious.
I am happy to admit that the answers here are far from obvious, and that I am myself expecting prices to rise somewhat.
Insurance price sentences to ponder Said 6 Sept 2026
AI does not appear to be driving the recent decline in the U.S. college wage premium.
I do not see AI as driving these changes, but an interesting result nonetheless
The College Wage Premium in the Generative AI Era Said 2 Sept 2026
Cybersecurity risks from advanced AI very likely will not come close to being as bad as either Covid or global warming.
When it comes to the cybersecurity risks from advanced AI, very likely they will not come close to being as bad as either Covid or global warming.
The Hugging Face hack Said 1 Sept 2026
Americans have repeatedly overreacted drastically to real problems like DDT, Y2K, and nuclear power, swept up in fear after one vivid incident.
Yet each time, we drastically overreacted, letting ourselves get swept up in a climate of fear after one emotionally vivid incident
The Hugging Face hack Said 1 Sept 2026
AI sentience is a category error, and the chances of AIs being sentient are vanishingly small.
I am very much opposed to the view that the AIs are sentient, or might be sentient. I view that as a category error , and the chances of it being true are vanishingly small.
Anthropomorphizing AI? Said 31 Aug 2026
More informed AI insiders often come down with AI psychosis, so one should be very, very careful when speaking with them.
Though be very, very careful when speaking with others, whether it be the less informed public or the more informed insiders who often come down with AI psychosis.
Anthropomorphizing AI? Said 31 Aug 2026
Guests who answer by signalling empathy instead of saying something substantive are a reason to turn a bit more against empathy.
The signaling-empathy answers I find quite uninteresting, and I think a lot of my listeners do, too. Yet people will just keep on doing this, and I get frustrated. Then I think, “Well, Tyler, you should turn a bit more against empathy for this reason.” And I think that’s correct.
Paul Bloom on the Psychology of Children, and the Morality of Empathy and Disgust (Conversations with Tyler, Ep. 218) Said 13 May 2024
Milton Friedman's chief intellectual flaw was wanting to make economics too simple.
And indeed overall that interaction fits with my more general reservation about Friedman: he wanted to make economics just a little bit too simple.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
John Maynard Keynes is best understood as a British aesthete rationalist who did economics in his spare time, not primarily as an economist.
I don’t view Keynes primarily as an economist, rather I see him as a British aesthete rationalist who did economics in his spare time, and fortunately he had lots of spare time.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
All thinkers are shaped indelibly by the region they grew up in.
I often like to say that all thinkers are regional thinkers, namely they are indelibly shaped by the circumstances they grew up in
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Keynes's bisexuality and strong interest in gay sex were a significant cause of his ability to grasp different and outside perspectives.
I view Keynes’s bisexuality and his strong interest in gay sex as a significant cause of what made him interesting and which gave him so strong an ability to grasp different and outside perspectives.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
There is no clearly defined notion of who the right people are to entrust with power, which warrants deep skepticism of government on public choice grounds.
I am myself skeptical that there is a clearly defined notion of who “the right people” might be, and thus I am on public choice grounds far more skeptical of government than Keynes was.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
The General Theory is a brilliant work despite numerous flaws in reasoning, exposition, and microeconomics.
My current view is that the General Theory is a brilliant work, marred by numerous mistakes in reasoning, exposition, and microeconomics.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Hayek's three best economics articles surpass the three best articles from any other economist.
Hayek’s three best articles are better than any three articles from any other economist.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Even flawed scientistic rigor in policy analysis is preferable to none, since its absence would open the field to irresponsible, ideological policy advice.
At the end of the day, scientism still seems better than “no scientism,” given that the latter would leave the field open for highly irresponsible and also ideological -- ideological in all directions – pieces of policy advice.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Both markets and states are spontaneous orders, not just the state as constructed 'taxis' versus the market as 'cosmos'.
In my own view, both markets and states are spontaneous orders, and government is not uniquely the product of “taxis” or “rationalist constructivism.”
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Interest rates have little effect on investment, and central banks have limited control over real interest rates.
In the actual data, interest rates don’t seem to drive investment that much, and furthermore central bank influence over the real rate of interest typically is limited.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
An inability to see the viewpoints of people unlike oneself is a genuine weakness in a social scientist, not merely a separate moral failing.
It is a sign that Hayek was not so great at seeing the viewpoints of other people, and that (political moralizing aside) also should count as a weakness of him as an economist and social scientist.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Neither monetarist money-supply-focused models nor Keynesian macro models have outperformed simple random-walk models at forecasting the macroeconomy.
Friedman’s focus on the money supply has not held up, as Samuelson suggested, but the alternative Keynesian macro models recommended by Samuelson in the same interview have not done better and they were not outperforming simple random walk models of predicting the macroeconomic future.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Moral hazard problems are often worse in government programs than in private markets.
The truth is that moral hazard concerns very often are worse with government programs than with markets.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Virtually all economics of contemporary significance is empirical work.
Virtually all contemporary economics of note is empirical work
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
After Schumpeter wrote, most recessions were caused by bursting asset price bubbles, monetary policy mistakes, or sharp oil price increases.
As it turns out, after Schumpeter wrote most recessions were caused by either the bursting of asset price bubbles, monetary policy mistakes (unnecessary deflations), or sharp increases in the price of oil.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
John Stuart Mill's The Subjection of Women is one of the best, most important, and most original books of the nineteenth century.
Not only did Mill consider the topic of women, but virtually everything he claimed turned out to be true, and insightful, even though it was highly controversial at the time. It is one of the best and most important and most original books of the nineteenth century.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
John Stuart Mill developed a deeper and more enduring defense of liberty than Hayek or Friedman did, despite writing decades earlier.
It is striking that Mill, although writing many decades before Hayek and Friedman, fleshed out a deeper and more enduring defense of liberty than they did.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Intelligent liberal elites can badly mismanage the colonies they govern, in ways that persist for decades or centuries.
A simple understanding of coalitions, political competition, and limited resources will bring you rather quickly to the conclusion that intelligent liberal elites can screw up their colonies pretty badly and in ways that can persist for decades or centuries.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Modern prosperity does not refute Malthus: the Malthusian dilemma was faced, and one of Malthus’s own options was taken.
You thus can see that the prosperity of the modern world does not refute Malthus. We faced the Malthusian dilemma and opted for one of his options, namely vice.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
A highly dynamic economy that cheaply mass-produces robots may increase rather than decrease the risk of Malthusian resource dilemmas.
A very dynamic economy probably will be very good at building lots of robots cheaply, which may make us more rather than less likely to end up in Malthusian dilemmas.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
The highest gains from trade come from the introduction of new goods altogether, rather than from cheaper existing ones.
It turns out that the highest gains from trade come from the introduction of new goods altogether, just as Malthus had suggested.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Milton Friedman was the best economist among the plausible candidates for greatest economist of all time.
Friedman has one big factor in his favor, namely that he is clearly the best economist on the list of contending names.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Milton Friedman's best-known policy prescription, targeting the money supply, is no longer regarded as correct.
Friedman’s best-known policy idea – targeting the money supply – no longer is regarded as correct.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Among the leading candidates for greatest economist of all time, Adam Smith was analytically the weakest, save perhaps Malthus.
Of all the contenders for GOAT, Smith seems to be clearly the worst economist, with the possible exception of Malthus.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
Modern economics has shifted from being a carrier of broad ideas to being primarily a means of data collection and hypothesis testing.
economics is no longer a carrier of ideas. It is primarily a means of data collection and very sophisticated hypothesis testing.
GOAT: Who is the Greatest Economist of all Time and Why Does it Matter? Said 1 Oct 2023
What is a korrent?
A korrent is a belief a person has stated in their own words: one sentence stating the claim, backed by a quote and a source, kept at korrents.com.
Under a name here, the quoted block is what they actually said. The korrent beneath it is the claim those words support, in korrents' wording — tap it to see the record, its source, and who else holds it.
Nobody here wrote their own korrents. They are compiled from public statements, and a person can change their mind, which is recorded too.
Recommends rcmnd
rcmnd What they recommend 43 things — each backed by an exact quote.
Compiled by rcmnd.app, not by them: the quotes are theirs, and each links to the post it was copied from.
Recent
Loved Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire
A very good and aggressively readable book about how terrible slavery was in the Roman Empire.
marginalrevolution.com 8 Aug 2026
What others say about Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire →
Mixed on Nadja
It is short, and fun enough to read.
marginalrevolution.com 8 Aug 2026
Recommends Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season
I usually do not enjoy poetry in translation, but this is so fiery and full of passion that I am happy to recommend it.
marginalrevolution.com 8 Aug 2026
What others say about Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season →
Show 40 more
Loved From the Front Line, Stalingrad-Treblinka-Berlin 1941-1945
Self-recommending, the best third of this volume is just stunningly good.
marginalrevolution.com 8 Aug 2026
What others say about From the Front Line, Stalingrad-Treblinka-Berlin 1941-1945 →
Loved Wireheads: An Unnatural History of Technology in the Brain
An excellent book, substantive on every page, and it will make you want to read some of the works he cites.
marginalrevolution.com 8 Aug 2026
What others say about Wireheads: An Unnatural History of Technology in the Brain →
Liked Monumental: Great Buildings of the World Through the Hands and Eyes of a Stonemason
An engaging book about the beauties of stonemasonry, with case studies of Venice, Angkor Wat, Lalibela, Zimbabwe and other locales.
marginalrevolution.com 1 Jul 2026
Mixed on The Shortest History of Ireland
From a useful series, even if some of the claims are wrong and the judgments intemperate.
marginalrevolution.com 1 Jul 2026
Liked The Traveler: One Man's Epic Quest for Discover Our Shared Humanity
This book meets her usual high standards.
marginalrevolution.com 1 Jul 2026
What others say about The Traveler: One Man's Epic Quest for Discover Our Shared Humanity →
Liked So You Want to Own Greenland?
A useful and dispassionate overview of the relevant history and issues.
marginalrevolution.com 1 Jul 2026
Read Sea of Treasures: A Cultural History of Ancient Indian Ocean Trade
And there is Jeremy A. Simmons, Sea of Treasures: A Cultural History of Ancient Indian Ocean Trade
marginalrevolution.com 22 Jun 2026
What others say about Sea of Treasures: A Cultural History of Ancient Indian Ocean Trade →
Liked Demographic Headwinds: The Economic Consequences of Lower Birth Rates and Longer Lives
A short volume, to the point, worry is in order.
marginalrevolution.com 22 Jun 2026
Liked What Should My Children Do?: How to Flourish in the Age of AI
Daniel Susskind, What Should My Children Do?: How to Flourish in the Age of AI is a book that needed to be written.
marginalrevolution.com 22 Jun 2026
What others say about What Should My Children Do?: How to Flourish in the Age of AI →
Read Democratic Drain: Global Migration and the Struggle for Democracy
Justin Gest, Democratic Drain: Global Migration and the Struggle for Democracy is a political economy argument that widespread immigration can drain home countries of their democracy supporters to some extent.
marginalrevolution.com 22 Jun 2026
What others say about Democratic Drain: Global Migration and the Struggle for Democracy →
Loved James Joyce: A Political Life
An excellent book, and it truly induces us to revalue Joyce and understand him in a new light.
marginalrevolution.com 22 Jun 2026
Liked Worth the Risk: The Seven Myths that Keep Us from Taking the Chances We Need to Take
Allison Schrager is very good, including her new book Worth the Risk: The Seven Myths that Keep Us from Taking the Chances We Need to Take
marginalrevolution.com 22 Jun 2026
Loved Where the Music Had To Go
An excellent and engaging book, which even serious fans can learn from.
marginalrevolution.com 6 May 2026
Read Beyond Beauty: A Portrait of John Singer Sargent
There is also Devon Cox, Beyond Beauty: A Portrait of John Singer Sargent
marginalrevolution.com 6 May 2026
What others say about Beyond Beauty: A Portrait of John Singer Sargent →
Loved Where the Music Had To Go: How Bob Dylan and the Beatles Changed Each Other — and the World
An excellent and engaging book, which even serious fans can learn from.
marginalrevolution.com 6 May 2026
Liked Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions
A very good look at the negotiations behind the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and just how driven by national self-interest they were, including colonial motives from the major colonial powers, who wished to retain stronger rights to put down uprisings.
marginalrevolution.com 6 May 2026
What others say about Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions →
Loved The Cherokees in War & at Peace 1670-1840
An excellent book, one of the two best books on a single Native American tribe I have read.
marginalrevolution.com 6 May 2026
What others say about The Cherokees in War & at Peace 1670-1840 →
Liked The Proof is in the Code: How a Truth Machine is Transforming Math and AI
A very useful book about the history of proving math theorems by computer.
marginalrevolution.com 3 Apr 2026
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Liked Exit Stalin: The Soviet Union as a Civilization 1953-1991
This one is well written, broad in scope, and yet rich in detail, treating the covered era as a living, breathing time in human history.
marginalrevolution.com 3 Apr 2026
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Loved The Four Heavens: A New History of the Ancient Maya
We keep on learning lots about the Maya, and this is the best book to follow what has been going on.
marginalrevolution.com 3 Apr 2026
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Liked The Bomb: South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Programme
I had been looking for a book on this topic for a long time, and finally I found the right one in a South African bookshop.
marginalrevolution.com 3 Apr 2026
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Recommends The Mind of South Africa: The Story of the Rise and Fall of Apartheid
Definitely recommended, written at the very end of the apartheid era which gives it yet another angle of interest.
marginalrevolution.com 3 Apr 2026
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Liked Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better
A good popular look at what the subtitle promises.
marginalrevolution.com 9 Mar 2026
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Recommends The Driver's Seat
If you like her at all, you will be entranced by this one.
marginalrevolution.com 9 Mar 2026
Loved The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and Return of the Near East
Anexcellent and original book, somewhere between a history and travel book.
marginalrevolution.com 9 Mar 2026
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Loved Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution
The best book on its topic, and one of the best books on Mexican history flat out.
marginalrevolution.com 9 Mar 2026
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Loved The King and I: The Uncensored Tale of Luciano Pavarotti's Rise to Fame by his Manager, Friend, and Sometime Adversary
This one actually is fantastically fun.
marginalrevolution.com 4 Jan 2026
Liked The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth
Nicolas Niarchos, The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth is a good treatment of minerals issues as they relate to the Congo today.
marginalrevolution.com 4 Jan 2026
Liked Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces that Shape Your Life
Alex Mayyasi, Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces that Shape Your Life is a useful introduction to economic concepts.
marginalrevolution.com 4 Jan 2026
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Recommends Why Immigration Policy is Hard and How to Make it Better
Alan Manning, Why Immigration Policy is Hard and How to Make it Better is a thoughtful and balanced look at its topic, recommended.
marginalrevolution.com 4 Jan 2026
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Read Colors of Asia: A Visual Journey, Photos and Design
There is Kevin Kelly, Colors of Asia: A Visual Journey, Photos and Design
marginalrevolution.com 22 Dec 2025
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Liked Religions of Early India: A Cultural History
A very useful background read for understanding later Indian history and religions, as well as the more general spread of religion throughout the southern regions of Asia.
marginalrevolution.com 22 Dec 2025
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Liked The Wage Standard: What's Wrong in the Labor Market and How to Fix It
A good overview of his work in labor economics.
marginalrevolution.com 22 Dec 2025
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Loved Everything We Do is Music: How 20th-Century Classical Music Shaped Pop
A very good and readable book on this interaction, with excellent discussions of Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, La Monte Young, and Penderecki, among many others.
marginalrevolution.com 22 Dec 2025
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Recommends John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs
Ian Leslie, John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs
marginalrevolution.com 22 Nov 2025
Recommends The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future
Keach Hagey, The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future
marginalrevolution.com 22 Nov 2025
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Recommends The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019-2025
Dwarkesh Patel, and others, The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019-2025
marginalrevolution.com 22 Nov 2025
What others say about The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019-2025 →
Recommends Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life
Agnes Callard, Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life
marginalrevolution.com 22 Nov 2025
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Recommends Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future
Dan Wang, Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future
marginalrevolution.com 22 Nov 2025
What others say about Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future →
Recommends Abundance
Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, Abundance
marginalrevolution.com 22 Nov 2025
Where they publish
Blog Marginal Revolution The economics blog they write with Alex Tabarrok, since 2003.
Several posts a day on economics, books, travel and culture. Written with Alex Tabarrok, so no feed is attached here: one feed carries both writers' posts, and this page must not attribute the other's words to them.
Link verified 1 Sept 2026.
Podcast Conversations with Tyler The interview show they host, since 2015. Has a feed.
Their own show: long one-on-one conversations with writers, economists and scientists, where they are the interviewer rather than the subject. Published by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, roughly twice a month.
Open conversationswithtyler.com
Recent
- Liaquat Ahamed on Financial Crises, Gold, and the Lessons of 1873 14 Oct 2026
- Luis Garicano on Spain, Europe, and the Future of Work 30 Sept 2026
- Gita Gopinath on Trade, Currencies, and Economic Transformation 23 Sept 2026
Show 17 more
- Annie Lowrey on the Time Tax, Fraud, and Rationing by Paperwork 16 Sept 2026
- Jared Diamond on Leaders, Luck, and Irreplaceability 9 Sept 2026
- Michael Moritz on Origin Stories, Exile, and Obsessive Curiosity 2 Sept 2026
- Luke Burgis on Mimetic Desire, Catholicism, and the Age of Social Contagion 19 Aug 2026
- Daron Acemoglu on Liberalism, Automation, and the Educated Elite 12 Aug 2026
- Julia Ioffe on Russian Women, Missing Men, and the Roots of Autocracy 5 Aug 2026
- Andrew Graham-Dixon on Vermeer, a Forgotten Sect, and Underrated Artists 22 Jul 2026
- Chase Koch on Principles, Music, and Overcoming Entropy 15 Jul 2026
- Joel Mokyr on Clans, Corporations, and a Culture of Growth 8 Jul 2026
- Joanne Paul on Thomas More and the Tudor World 24 Jun 2026
- Dave Baszucki on Roblox, Teen Entrepreneurs, and the Future of Play 17 Jun 2026
- Katja Hoyer on Weimar, the GDR, and the German Character 10 Jun 2026
- Toby Wilkinson on Ptolemaic Egypt and the First Great Commercial Civilization 27 May 2026
- Bob Spitz on the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and the Art of Biography 13 May 2026
- Craig Newmark on Institutional Maintenance, Giving Away Control, and the Internet We Were Promised (Live at 92NY) 29 Apr 2026
- Kim Bowes on the Economic Lives of Rome's Ninety Percent 15 Apr 2026
- Arthur Brooks on Reinvention, Religion, and the Science of Happiness 1 Apr 2026
Link verified 1 Sept 2026. Recent items update automatically from the channel.
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