I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles.

[eldritchhobbit]

So many fantastic people were born on or around this day. Happy birthday wishes to agentxpndble, arymetore, caster121, and syrcleoftrees! And happy early birthday wishes to ghislainem70, tudorpumpkin, xjenavivex, lizziebelle, zmaddoc, supermusicmad, and wiccagirl24. May all of you enjoy a brilliant day, my dear friends, and a fabulous year to come!

A few quick items:

* I was offline much of yesterday due to a fun series of thunderstorms. I'm catching up now!

* Reason Papers: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Normative Studies has published (online and for free) a very special issue, Imagining Better: Philosophical Issues in Harry Potter, edited by Carrie-Ann Biondi and including essays by some terrific scholars, several of whom I'm glad to call friends as well as colleagues. You don't want to miss these essays if you're a student or fan of Harry Potter. Check out this brilliant issue and/or download it here!

* Speaking of the wonderful agentxpndble, whose birthday is today, she's the mistress of two great websites, including CI5 Addict (for The Professionals) and...



* This month I'm part of a four-person scholarly roundtable dialogue on "Liberty, Commerce, and Literature" featured at Cato Unbound here. The other participants are literary critics Sarah Skwire and Frederick Turner and Heinlein biographer William H. Patterson, Jr.


And last, the new Hobbit video blog. Two words: Beorn's Hall! \o/

"I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led. And through the air. I am he that walks unseen. I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly. I was chosen for the lucky number. I am he that buries his friends alive and drowns them and draws them alive again from the water. I came from the end of bag, but no bag went over me. I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ring-winner and Luckwearer; and I am Barrel-rider."
- Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

Comments

Thanks, and Commerce and Fiction

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks so much for sharing the Reason Papers collection link!! The authors I worked with are awesome people and have so many insightful new ideas about the beloved Harry Potter series.

And thanks for letting us know about the scholarly roundtable dialogue. The essays were very interesting and have given me some cool ideas to integrate into my Business Ethics course this Fall. In addition to the various good reasons you and Sarah adduce for why the scholarly output on the topic is so anti-market tilted, I think that some scholars themselves are anti-market and so tend to see and read what they want to--it reaffirms them in their anti-market views. That then affects what they assign their students to read (and how they read), and so the cycle continues.

As for literature/fiction that is sympathetic with free enterprise, I would include some of Charlotte Bronte's work. Fred and George Weasley are depicted in a generally positive entrepreneurial light with their successful business (even though Rowling supports Labor, I believe). I also seem to recall a very Libertarian sci-fi book called Snow Crash.... In short, there is a good deal out there--as the four of you point out--so thank you for raising this important topic!

~Carrie-Ann Biondi

Re: Thanks, and Commerce and Fiction

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, my pleasure! Thank you for making the collection available!

Thanks also for taking a peek at the scholarly roundtable dialogue.

In addition to the various good reasons you and Sarah adduce for why the scholarly output on the topic is so anti-market tilted, I think that some scholars themselves are anti-market and so tend to see and read what they want to--it reaffirms them in their anti-market views. That then affects what they assign their students to read (and how they read), and so the cycle continues.

Oh, excellent point.

I'm glad you brought up Charlotte Bronte, Rowling, and Stephenson, as well. Great examples! *nods vigorously*