Economics and Ethics publication

Social Futuring, Modern and Ancient

John D. Mueller

This article reviews and compares two approaches to the new, holistic, and multidisciplinary concept “Social Futuring,” which are expressed in two indices based on this concept, entitled the “Social Futuring Index” and the “Human Flourishing Index” (HFI). Broadly speaking, the Social Futuring Index is indebted to the broader context of modern social sciences, while the Human Flourishing Index attempts to update the scholastic moral philosophy, which was based primarily on the insights of Aristotle and Augustine, as combined by Thomas Aquinas (hence the HFI was previously called the “AAA Index”). Finally, we present the key elements of both indices and their measurement for individual countries from a comparative perspective.

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World Futures / May 18, 2022

Atheism: Pro and Con

John D. Mueller

John D. Mueller answers atheist Jeffery Lowder’s recycling of Plato’s argument against religion and morality and Lowder’s defense of atheism.

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Academia.edu / March 28, 2022

The AAA Index, or Index of Human Flourishing (IHF)

John D. Mueller

The AAA Index (or Index of Human Flourishing) is a new country index, named after the ancient and medieval scholastic philosophers Aristotle, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, which seeks to measure how well individual countries promote human flourishing.

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Time to Reverse the Curse Over the Dollar

John D. Mueller

Other countries backing their currencies with dollar-denominated securities led to a dilemma for America. U.S. manufacturing jobs have disappeared in direct proportion to the decline in our net reserves.

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The New York Sun / August 5, 2021

Robert A. Mundell: A Renewed Appreciation

John D. Mueller

Even the closest friends of the late Nobel laureate Robert Mundell struggled to convey exactly why Mundell was regarded as a great economist, even by those who have disagreed with him.

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America Enters a Jacques Rueff Moment

John D. Mueller

As President Trump charts his course back to prosperity, the confusing economic situation is signaling that the best sage for him to consult would be Jacques Rueff.

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Sexual Healing

John D. Mueller

Jennifer Roback Morse’s The Sexual State provides a comprehensive, well-documented analysis of the Sexual Revolution and outlines what seems to be a more livable and politically viable alternative.

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Claremont Review of Books / June 13, 2019

Don’t Make America Great Britain

John D. Mueller

Don­ald Trump promised to “make Amer­ica great again,” but he might make Amer­ica Great Britain. To re-in­dus­tri­al­ize the U.S. econ­omy, Pres­i­dent Trump must avoid the mis­take that de-in­dus­tri­al­ized Britain: namely, he must end the dol­lar’s role as the world’s chief re­serve cur­rency.

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The Wall Street Journal / October 11, 2018

Economics and Demography

John D. Mueller

Why has the birth rate fallen in nearly every country? And why has discussion of the family been shifting from West to East? A new prototype “Social Futuring Index” might offer some answers.

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The Cause and Mechanisms of American De-Industrialization

John D. Mueller

An effective solution to the decline of American manufacturing highlighted in the new book Advanced Manufacturing, it seems, requires either a change of mind by President Trump, or a different president.

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Law and Liberty / September 6, 2018

Jeff Bell Was George Bailey

John D. Mueller

To those who knew him well, Jeffrey L. Bell was a real-life George Bailey: an accomplished and decent man who shaped important events by helping others achieve their own greatness, mostly without recognition himself.

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The Weekly Standard / February 20, 2018

A Brief Demographic Tour of the World

John D. Mueller

The good news is that the rate of legal abortion has fallen by nearly half from its peak; the bad news is that this still makes the difference between a declining and growing population, both for the United States and for the whole world.

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