Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeb Stuart Thurmond
That's the difference between commerce and politics. That is why we want as much of life to be moved from the realm of politics to the realm of commerce, and not the other way around.
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The Spectator talks about another "
magic quality of business. It is the only area of human activity where you get paid to change your mind.
In politics, in punditry, in academia, there is great value attached to consistency. Changing your mind risks loss of face. Your ability to deliver plausible generalizations counts for a lot. There is social pressure to adopt the dominant frame of thought....
[Commerce]
actively rewards heterogeneity of thought. The more prevalent a belief is among your competitors, the greater the gains to be had from disproving it. When everyone else zigs, it pays to zag."
This is why the clever-but-useless class attack the merchant class for being meanies - instead of trying to be polite and go along with the herd, business is all about standing out and zagging even though the current fashion is to zig.