Friday, May 02, 2008
Eirvana
Éirvana is the title of a new UCD School of Economics working paper by Cormac Ó Gráda. The paper looks at the state of Irish life now that "the Irish misery index (the sum of its unemployment and inflation rates) has edged above ten per cent and aggregate employment has virtually stopped growing". Various data on items such as life satisfaction, alcohol consumption rates, life expectancy and suicide rates are considered.
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5 comments:
A fine paper.
This paper is a healthy antidote to the "we've lost our celtic soul" mysticism that passes for journalism in too much of our media.
On the GDP/happiness non-correlation, one thing I have found is that there's a stronger (negative) correlation between GDP per capita and the percent saying they are 'unhappy' rather than the percent saying they are happy.
Which suggests that money makes you less miserable, but not necessarily more happy.
Or,as the old joke goes "Money does not make you happy but at least you can be miserable in comfort". I think its all about uncertainty: with more money you know that at least you don't have to worry about the material stuff & who knows about the more transcendental? With poverty you are f****ed.
Personally when I hear "Celtic" or "spirituality" I reach for my revolver because you know you are going to hear any amount of inane new age nonsense.
kevin, kevin, kevin
1. using curse words on the blog
2. decrying spirituality
3. admitting gun ownership
who moderates this blog?
Whats wrong with flumoxed? besides its only a revolver,had to get rid of the old AK47 in a hurry...
A certain book,generally seen as the locus classicus of the Celtic spirituality movement here, starts off by saying that "the darkest hour is before the dawn".As any one who has stayed up all night [ever if they were drinking] knows this is baloney. A metaphor for the vacuousness of all that literature.
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