It really was better to be British than French

Or so say the authors of a study probing the effects of colonial rule in West Africa.

To identify the effects of colonial legacy, we focus on one case, the West African nation of Cameroon. Originally colonized by Germany, Cameroon was divided between Britain and France during World War I, and the two powers implemented widely divergent colonial policies in their separate zones. The two areas were only reunited at independence in 1960, and despite a strong policy of centralization, they retain separate legal and education systems and a strong attachment to the language and culture of their respective colonizers. A comparison of these regions this permits an excellent test of the colonizer influence hypothesis.

Comparing communities close to but on either side of the colonial border, Alexander Lee and Kenneth Schultz of Stanford discover that rural households on the British side are wealthier and have access to better water sources than those on the French side.

This blog frequently covers how long-ago events have surprising effects on today’s development outcomes: patterns of indigenous slavery in Peru and Bolivia show up in household consumption and stunted children’s growth, while taxation regimes in colonial Nigeria influence the quality of public service provision.

This new study on Cameroon is among many that find British colonial institutions (as compared to those of their French, German, Belgian, Portuguese or Spanish colonial competitors) lead to better development outcomes today. Lee and Schultz note that the Anglo edge comes from a combination of characteristics generally common to British colonial regimes: “lack of forced labor, more autonomous local institutions…common law, English culture, Protestantism” but stop short of telling us which of these were most responsible for the differences observed in Cameroon.

For some relief from the oppressive conclusion that today’s development outcomes are all pre-determined, the researchers find that post-independence policies matter too. ?The positive effects from British rule don’t hold for urban areas or for centrally-provided public goods, showing that post-independence policies, which have generally favored the former French side with greater infrastructure investment, can overtake colonial legacies.

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OK let’s get really rigorous about using local knowledge on US regions

One great response to Friday’s post on David Brooks’ less-than-perfect-knowledge about the Midwest was a Discover Magazine blog post by Razib Khan that provided the following evidence-based map:

and for those who missed it in the comments section, here’s a story from my favorite news source:

“I long suspected something was there,” said Franklin Eldred, a Manhattan native and leader of the 200-man exploratory force. “I’d flown between New York and L.A. on business many times, and the unusually long duration of my flights seemed to indicate that some sort of large area was being traversed, an area of unknown composition.”

Though the Midwest territory is still largely unexplored, early reports describe a region as backwards as it is vast. “Many of the basic aspects of a civilized culture appear to be entirely absent,” said Gina Strauch, a Los Angeles-based anthropologist. “There is no theater to speak of, and their knowledge of posh restaurants is sketchy at best. Further, their agricentric lives seem to prevent them from pursuing high fashion to any degree, and, as a result, their mode of dress is largely restricted to sweatpants and sweatshirts

“We must remember that these people are not at all like us,” Conde Nast publisher and Manhattan socialite Lucille Randolph Snowdon said. “They are crude and provincial, bewildered by our tall buildings and our art galleries, our books and our coffee shops.”

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What new atheists really believe?

There is a Larry Moran Sandwalk asked:

Say stop the geindre on how the "know nothing" atheists are ignoring the best arguments for the existence of God. Come all you theists and accommodationists, put your money where your mouth is. Give us something of substance instead of hiding behind the Courtisan.Voyons reply angels...I'm betting that [theists] do not have the slightest notion of all the arguments advanced and new for the existence of God who have not already addressed on the new athées.Je am betting that they are just blowing smoke to provide coverage for their friends theist hoping to save their intellectual embarrassment.

Moran obtained 551 comments.Not an argument for the theism met him:

I think it is fair to say that person will come to all that looks even remotely to a modern "sophisticated" argument that ignore atheists GNU.Par therefore I declare victory.

But what about arguments for new atheism? occasional reading again atheist speech reveals the themes.

The new atheism Cliff notes:

(1) There are no gods
(2) Theists are for IDiots
(3) Catholic priests molest children.

It is certainly more again athéisme.Certains old atheism (Epicurus, Lucretia, Hume, Russell, Quine) was quite deep.New atheism should still be meilleur.Raison, modern science, Brights, etc.

I want to learn more about what really new athées.Donc I asked Moran a few questions, although other atheists (Myers, Coyne, Novella, Shallit, etc.) are invited to respond on their blogs and I will answer.

Here are the questions.

(1) Why is something?
(2) That caused the universe?
(3) Why are there (Act) regularity in nature?
(4) Of the four causes in the nature proposed by Aristotle (hardware, formal, effective and final), which are real? do final causes?
(5) Why do we experience subjective and not simply objective existence?
(6) Why is mind intentionally, in the technical philosophical sense of aboutness, which is the reference to something outside of itself human? how mental States may be on something?
(7) No moral law exists in itself, or it is an artifact of nature (natural selection, etc.).
(Why 8) is evil?

I'm not expecting a treatise on chacun.Theists do not have all the réponses.Je don't expect new atheists so they soit.Mais each tradition metaphysical - Catholics, protestants, Jews, Islam, Buddhism, animists, old atheist, heck, even a Scientologist and Raelian - addressed at least some of these questions, for better or for the pire.Comment new atheists remedy? some coherent sentences for each question will start a conversation.Si is one of the questions too hard and say ignore les.Bient?t, I'll publish my ainsi.Aucune reading responses.

The rules:

(1) Responses cannot be limited to the defects of Theism (e.g. ' which caused God?').I'm looking for an exhibition of new atheist belief, not a criticism of the mutual theist.Critique belief comes once all beliefs are on the New table.Si atheist belief can only be expressed by the negation of the beliefs of others, just saying that.
(2) Myers "Of the courtier respond" gambit is fine.Si you think that a question is absurd, said.
(3) No change to the object .Nouvelles questions are welcome, that old issues are addressed.
(4) Of the Act, the Snark Conservation if applies. courteous thoughtful answers more courteous thoughtful answers.

I want to learn more about what really new atheists.

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