I usually save podcasts and other interviews/discussions for when I’m working online. They serve as great background when I’m not listening to music. One interview that I recently caught was Dr. Robert Higgs on C-Span’s Book TV. Normally, three hours of listening to anyone talk doesn’t really inspire me and Higgs is certainly not the most dynamic speaker out there. However, the interview with him is pretty interesting throughout and he hones in on several critical insights that cloud many folks’ thinking.

One of the main insights he provides is the fallacy that many people fall prey to: that of believing your fellow man to be much worse than you yourself are. In the examples Higgs provides, he points out that many people assume if there isn’t a state-provided social safety net, people will die in the streets of starvation, illness, etc. But, if any one of us saw a person dying through injury, starvation, etc. in front of our homes or workplaces, all but the most callous among us would certainly do whatever was in our power to help a person so clearly in need. As many of you have I’m sure, I’ve donated to charities and even given a buck or two to homeless folks whose situation seemed rough, but didn’t look as dire as the scenarios portrayed by many proponents of the welfare state. These proponents seem to assume that they are special cases and among an elite few who actually care about others, that most people would let another person starve or bleed to death and turn a blind eye to suffering. Certainly there have been instances of this, but, on the whole, most people would do what they could to help someone suffering. Yes, there are some cold, heartless folks out there, but it is a mistake to assume that the bulk of humanity is like this and that you are the only one or one of a few capable of caring. I know others have made similar cases before, but Higgs pointing out that particular aspect of the idea was a new one to me.