Public Release: 2-Dec-2002
Quarterly Journal of Economics
New theory explains economic growth in terms of evolutionary biology
The struggle for survival that characterized most of human existence stimulated a process of natural selection that conferred an evolutionary advantage on humans who had a higher genetic predisposition for a careful rearing of the next generation. This evolutionary change permitted the Industrial Revolution to trigger a change from an epoch of stagnation to an age of sustained economic growth, say Brown University economist Oded Galor and Omer Moav from the Hebrew University in the lead article in the current Quarterly Journal of Economics.
National Science Foundation

Contact: Oded Galor
Oded_Galor@Brown.edu
401-863-2117
Brown University

[Eurekalert - Biology]

If what this press release says is what this man wrote, never trust economists talking about biology. This is full of 'just-so' stories that try to state that the growth seen from the Industrial Revolution came about because of a genetically determined shift in fertility strategy. I do not see why genes have to have anything to do with this. During the 'epoch of stagnation' men were selected who helped rear fewer but higher quality children. Now, I'd like to see the numbers because agriculture tended to require more hands than hunter-gatherers but provided food to allow that. Hunter-gatherers were not able to sustain the high populations that agriculture did. During a period of stagnation, it would not be probable that a fmaily could maintain a huge number of children. I don't know if the average family size decreased but if it did it most likely was because food was scarce. Under these circumstances, humans needed to be more creative to make things better. You could not overcome a farming problem or a fighting problem with more people. They did not exist and you could not feed them anyway. So, the successful cultures were the ones that fostered creative ways to move around the problem. Successes would then be rapidly spread amongst the population. I would suggest that cultural changes made the Industrial Revolution possible. If genetic predisposition was present, it came from fostering the creative mind, not by altering the fertility rate.

The main thing that gets me is that what is described does not sound Darwinian. Here is a quote"

This was due to the complementary relationship between brain capacity and the return to investment in human capital.

10:06:53 PM    

_Best Comedies_

1. Home Alone 1 (the original)
2. Home Alone 2 (typical sequel but almost as good)
3. National Lampoon Christmas (simply the best Christmas farce ever done)
4. Blackadder Christmas Carol (satire for Christmas. Only Blackadder)
5. The Santa Claus (best modern Christmas fantasy)

_Best Classic Stories_

6. It's A Wonderful Life (one of my favorite movies, period)
7. Miracle on 34th St (1947) (The best smaltzy, funny Christmas movie)
8. A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott) (the closest to the sentiments of the original book)
9. A Christmas Story (best Christmas movie told from a kid's viewpoint)
10. Meet Me in St. Louis (I cry every time Judy sing 'Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas'!)
11. Scrooge (Albert Finney) (A musical Christmas Carol that works)

_Modern Classics_

12. The Family Man (A wonderfully sentimental movie with a surprisingly adult ending)
13. While You were Sleeping (the best modern woman's movie masquerading as a Christmas movie)
14. Muppet Christmas Carol (funniest rendition of A Christmas Carol)

_Animated_

15. Grinch/Charlie Brown Christmas/Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer (3 classic animated shorts)
16. Nightmare Before Christmas (a twisted movie with an extremely sentimental heart)

_Best Movies of Dysfunctional Families at Christmastime_

17. The Ref (Denis Leary as a cat burgler/family therapist)
18. Die Hard 1 (marital problems and terrorists at Christmas make any ordinary family disputes seem almost petty)
19. Die Hard 2 (proof that you should always avoid John McClain at the holidays)
20. The Lion in Winter (what would a Christmas movie festival be like without a small family drama dealing with the family succession)

_Fits the Category_

21. Scrooged (worth it for the TV promo early on of 'The Night the Reindeer Died')
22. Miracle on 34th St (1994) (much more smaltzy and not nearly as funny as the original but starring some good actors)
23. White Christmas (total smaltz but I love Danny Kaye so it stays)

_Gone As Soon as I Can Replace It_

24. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Life action) (Most mean-spirited and unfunny Christmas movie). It shall be replaced with 'We're No Angels (1955) when/if it comes out on video)

9:20:01 PM