Because of Course

Nobody likes to hear “See I told you so.”

So it won't be me saying it. I’d prefer you hear it in the voice of Robert K. Merton , complete with his upturning palms, shoulder shrug, and slight smile ??♂?

Take a quick read back on Prima Parte: Philosophy on News?in “Paved with Good Intentions” (April 6 2024) .

Hey California, because of course …

Enjoy.

Prima Parte: Philosophy on News?

How Traffic Changed At California Restaurants After The Minimum Wage Increase

Several weeks ago, I applied a philosophical lens to the new California law raising the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 per hour.

Merton's "The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action" served as our main pathway to understanding what was at play with this new legislation and the potential, if not likely, fallout.

Merton suggested that California Democrats did this for direct political gain while disregarding its consequences.

Now, we're beginning to see the maleffects of this social legislation, specifically, what happens when labor wages are set by legislation rather than by the unhindered forces of supply and demand.

Unsurprisingly, many of the affected fast-food restaurants have navigated the change by raising their prices to offset the higher mandated labor costs (for example, Chipotle hiked menu prices on average between 6% and 7% at California stores).

Again, predictably, and in large part due to raised prices, quick-service restaurants in California have seen a sharp decline in traffic since the introduction of the wage increase price-hikes, with McDonald's traffic down by 2.48%, Burger King by 3.86%, and In-N-Out by 2.59%.

Ultimately, this ripple effect will widen into store closures and unemployment for fast food workers. Sadly many workers will go through the arc of a $15.50 (the previous minimum wage) per hour job to $20/hour to $0/hour (in fact, it's <$0/hour when you consider the expense of unemployment benefits on the tax-base).

Friedrich Hayek , a preeminent political philosopher of the 20th century, is most noted for his defense of free market capitalism and the individual's rights while chiefly considering the interdependence of economic, social, and institutional phenomena. His account of how prices communicate information is widely regarded as an essential contribution to economics, leading to his receiving the 1974 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

“A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers.” (Law, Legislation, & Liberty Vol 2, 1976).

Hayek tells us that the state meddling in a country's economy can only lead to disaster. Certainly informed by his firsthand experiences fleeing the Nazi government's totalitarian control of Austria-Hungary before the Second World War, Hayek advocated for the complete self-regulating sovereignty of the free market.

Rather than fixing prices, which is what setting artificial labor rates ultimately does, we should observe how prices naturally rise and fall—the price signal—when free economic entities move in the dance of supply and demand.

The more I read Hayek's writing, learn his biography, and contemplate the boldness of economic absolutism in the free market forces, the more badass he becomes. It's little wonder Hayek's prescient insights have inspired the cryptocurrency, blockchain, and Web3 movements that have emerged in recent years to challenge the economic status quo.

Seconda Parte: Your Philosophy is Your Business

You’ve been at your firm for just over three years. You’ve performed well and are reasonably pleased with your coworkers, management, and the overall trajectory of the company. In fact, you’ve just gone through a promotion, beating out three other internal candidates for a senior-level management position. You’re certain the Chief Product Officer really went-to-bat for you on this promotion. And that feels great. Until you get a ping on LinkedIn Messenger. The CEO of a smaller competitor DM’d you wanting to “pick your brain” on a few topics. In fact, she’s looking for someone “with your experience and product knowledge” to discuss what building out an executive function at her firm might entail. It’s clear that the CEO is feeling you out for an interview, ultimately the inside-track to that elevated position at her company. Your current employment agreement doesn’t have any “non-compete” language. What do you do?

At the risk of tending on well-trodden ground, we look to the (in)famous advice of Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli , the great diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance.

Machiavellian is used often enough in the business to be an adjective, usually something akin to “ruthless,” but we’ll challenge ourselves to be a bit more detailed and draw specific advice from textual references.

The Florentine would advise navigating our situation in a way to maximizes personal and professional outcomes while taking care to minimizing potential risks. In short, he’d council to be completely self-centered in action.

Step-by-Step

• Assess the strategic benefits of moving to the competitor.
• Consider the impact on relationships but prioritize personal advancement.
• Manage your reputation carefully with both your current and potential new employers. Use any means necessary to do this, including deceit.
• Seize the opportunity now, especially if it promises significant career growth and aligns with your long-term goals.

Machiavelli often emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities for personal gain and advancement.

"The ends justify the means" (The Prince, Chapter XVIII)

This suggests that if moving to the competitor provides significant personal and professional benefits, it is worth considering, even if it involves some level of ethical ambiguity.

"A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise" (The Prince, Chapter XVIII)

While you should be loyal to your current employer, you must also be prepared to act in your own best interest if a better opportunity arises.

I look forward to standing by this statue in just a few weeks! I intend to replicate his pose alongside, NOT the ethical advice necessarily.

Parte Terza:?Notables

Here's a list of any new, notable reading, art, and media on my desk with a short commentary:

Reading:

• "The Prague Cemetery" by Umberto Ecco:?I love the psychology, religious commentary, 19th-century conspiracy theory, and historical nationalism woven into this sweeping story. The confessional premise is an apt vehicle for the dark twists of the narrative. This book's character development and illusory layers are weights I have yet to hold since "The Name of the Rose. A big part of the joy of the reading is the thoughtful reflection of the author's scholarship and intent. The more of him I read, the larger Ecco sits on my mantle of literary icons. I'd love to be able to read in the original Italian one day. I'm working on it!
• "Suicide of the West" by Jonah Goldberg: I powerfully agree with the book's central hypothesis and key ideas (worth reading the excellent summary). I particularly enjoyed Goldberg's unpacking of Locke vs. Rousseau— why and how these two philosophers' worldviews find purchase in our political discourse (and discord). Overall, this is an essential commentary on what's happening in the West, how we got here, and what (if anything) can be done. Goldberg also rarely misses the chance to shoehorn a metaphor. Ughhh
• "Travels with My Aunt" by Graham Greene: Enjoying this one on different levels. I love the travel writing and Greene's imagery in place. I love the Britishness of his worldview. I especially love the interplay between Pulling and Augusta (both feel old-fashioned in juxtaposed ways-- who's the old-timer here?). And I love the fantastical story-within-a-story-telling. The author reads very closely to the page. In other words, I need help to separate my understanding of Greene (his biography, bibliography, likes/dislikes) from this story. Usually, that's a bad thing, but here, it's a bonus thing. And it's funny. This is just a charming, amusing read.
• "Plautus: Casina: Introductory Material" by W.T. MacCray & M.M. Willcock. These two Classicists offer a lucid, serious scholarship to the introduction of Plautus' Casina for modern audiences (well, Mid-century modern audiences, anyhow). I'm currently translating the play from Latin to English. It's been oddly comforting to read this dense introduction going into unusual, if not distancing, depth on the play's literary school, language, imagery, structure, themes, etc. I'd have brushed this aside years ago and looked for shortcuts to get the gist. Nowadays, I like it. It makes me feel nostalgia for the classroom, facing the rapture of a 75-year-old Jesuit. Now, what would Umberto Ecco do with that?

Art:

I bumped into this on X (shout out to Diane Doniol-Valcroze for having this gem). I am awestruck. This is a picture of a page within Fyodor Dostoevsky’s manuscript draft of “The Brothers Karamazov .”

Look at the way his mind works on the page.

As a Scribner with a less-than-perfect hand, I can relate. Yes, that's familiar. But, with Dostoevsky, my relating stops at "handwriting." This must be what the ink-on-paper mind of a genius looks like. Incredible.

Media:

• Writing of X run-ins, this encounter with George Orwell related to some thinking I've been doing after reading "Suicide of the West." I've long admired Orwell for his journalistic writing (particularly "The Road to Wigan Pier " and "Down and Out in Paris and London "), but have always paid even bigger homage to his political future casting on the fallout of the 20th century. I'm reconsidering that now. Maybe we're heading in a more Ray Bradbury direction, as chillingly relayed in "Fahrenheit 451 " and some of his other short stories. It'll be the numbness that we give to ourselves, the apathy. In other words (shoutout to Jonah for this oncoming metaphor), it'll be us sleeping at the stove that'll really cook our goose, not a tyrannical chef.
• Martin Butler is my favorite living philosopher. I'm deeply appreciative of Deborah Butler's channel sharing his reflections on dozens of existential questions posed to him. It's truly worth checking out Butler's presentation.
• I’ve been listening back on key episodes of The Portal . I don’t know if I like Eric Weinstein. I respect his intellect and find his thinking to be clear and helpful in my own wrestling on certain topics, but I think Eric likes himself enough for all the rest of us. Nevertheless, I appreciate what The Portal was trying to do. If you’re going to dabble, I’d suggest starting here .

Parte Quatra: My Back Pages

• Big news on Ulysses Travel Club is COMING SOON. What if Anthony Bourdain, Agatha Christie, Miles Davis, Richard Feynman, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso, all took a trip together…
• Check out my?YouTube channel ?for ongoing videos in my series on "Catholicism: A Complete Introduction." Four lectures have been posted, with a fifth soon to come! We're in the thick of unpacking?"Catholicism—The Basics."
• The second Your Philosophy Your Business content series on Don Miguel Ruiz's "The Four Agreements"?continues! My LinkedIn page will host?written posts ?and short videos (YouTube for unedited, longer takes).
• I will be soon releasing the “Sales Stoa” on LinkedIn (currently available only on Substack ). In this series, I offer career and job-functional advice to professional salespeople drawn from the primary-source wisdom of Stoic philosophers.
• Did you miss the first YPYB content series? It was a treatment of my Nine Principles of Stoicism, and you can find it by tracking back on my LinkedIn page or more easily here on?Substack .?
• You can subscribe to my?Substack ?for extra written content on "Your Philosophy Your Business."

Parte Quinta: Under Glass

Maybe it's because my birthday just passed. Perhaps it's because we Geminis are so unfairly maligned! But maybe it's just another good reason to consider some Cubism. Look at Castor and Pollux, as Roger de La Fresnaye interpreted. It's fascinating to follow the depictions of mythological heroes, gods, goddesses, and demigods throughout the progression of artistic schools and media.

Riferimenti

Hayek, Friedrich A. Law, Legislation, and Liberty: The Mirage of Social Justice. Vol. 2, University of Chicago Press, 1976.

Machiavelli, Niccolò. The Prince. Translated by Harvey C. Mansfield, University of Chicago Press, 1985.