The Greater Good

Philosophy, psychology, and policy.

by J.D. Trout, Ph.D.

A Healthy Substitute for Willpower

I have always loved bourbon, and as a graduate student, I loved it regularly. Back then, I drank with friends routinely. But most of us also value a life free from nagging temptation. What to do? Read More

Taxing and Drafting Our Way to Empathy?

With the U.S. troop withdrawal impending, and many tens of thousands dead, it is worth reflecting on the U.S.'s "clean hands" approach to the war in Iraq, and what our best cognitive psychology says about it. In times of war, people commonly announce, with unquestionable sincerity, that war is tragic, with terrible costs in suffering and death. Read More

Funny Money, Or: The Pleasures of Efficiency

Some months back, PT bloggers were asked to comment on their relationship with money, with a special focus on any quirks we have. This is a more personal perspective than many of us take in our blogs, but still interesting and worthwhile. I hope you like it. Read More

Hey Commissioner... Hand Me That Predictive Tool (Part 2)

When I tutored Federal Penitentiary inmates decades ago, I made a big mistake. Part Two of "Hey Commissioner... Hand me that Predictive Tool" is about how mistakes like this happen, and what they mean. Read More

Hey Commissioner... Hand Me That Predictive Tool

People worry about crime - about becoming a victim, about its costs, and about a leaky parole system. Are we doing all we can to control those risks? Read More

From Rags to Aristocracy

A single lifetime of hard work and personal sacrifice can create a legacy of inherited wealth lasting many generations. But this singular focus on the hero's rugged American individualism hides an important consequence of the story. Read More

Do Economists Wear Seatbelts?

I once shared a cab to LaGuardia with a freshly minted Economics Ph.D. On the scent of fame, he identified himself as part of a new breed of “rock-and-roll economist,” prepared to draw an audience with findings that jar and awe. Read More

Viral Ideas About Food Filth

Since my last post, "Peanut Butter and Paternalism", peanuts and the FDA have been much in the news. A New York Times Op-Ed yesterday revisits those very issues. Read More

Peanut Butter and Paternalism

Ever wonder how many fly parts can safely reside in your peanut butter? The government decides, and consumers don't complain. Now consider: How many lives can be safely exposed to helmetless motorcycling? When the government decides, many complain. Read More

The Greater Good: Psychology and Social Policy

Welcome to The Greater Good. This blog will discuss issues that intersect psychology and social policy, preoccupations of my new book, The Empathy Gap. This is my inaugural entry, a mere introduction. In the next offering, I will ask whether recent psychological discoveries can help define the limits of government's interference with individual choice. Read More

J.D. Trout is a philosopher of science and a speech perception researcher at Loyola University in Chicago. His most recent book is The Empathy Gap.

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