Re: Confidence: A Basic Politics Puzzle

Kathryn Aegis (aegis@igc.apc.org)
Mon, 17 Feb 1997 20:18:46 +0000

Robin Hanson writes:
>Haveing now spent several years in pursuit of a Ph.D. in political
>economy, the following observation stands out to me as the most
>puzzling: Why do people seem so damn confident of their political
>opinions?
Eric Watt Forste:
>Because the stakes are so high.

And what are the stakes? Power, authority, influence, and face.
Politics and money are merely tools towards these ends, and players
are not willing to concede ignorance on any point when this would
give a competitor an advantage in acquiring them. (But isn't that
basic political economy?)

Sin,

Kathryn Aegis