The Way Things Work, Air Conditioning, and Quantum Leap

Scott Bakula has been thrust into the deep South as a lawyer and they do a good job emphasizing the heat by using sweat and fans. (slight note - they use an academic building at Pomona College as the courthouse...in general, Quantum Leap and Sliders are great fun to spot LA locations doubling as different worlds or different times. They've already used USC a lot in both shows)

But it got me thinking about air conditioning and jealousy and John Rawls. Rawls political theory is the cornerstone of modern liberal thinging, the core idea being the mostest for the leasted. The only justifiable distribution of wealth is the one that maximizes the benefit to the least off in society.

In watching this show it is clear even the wealthiest don't have air conditioning in the South around 1957. But soon, air conditioning will be invented and only the wealthy will be able to afford it.

Now, I imagine many present day liberals, in looking back at this era would say, "Big deal. If only the wealthy can afford it, what good is it to the lay person." It hardly indicates "progress" or "justice." Maybe they are right.

But the wealthiest, in buying and affording the air conditioning, enable the companies making air conditioning units to be innovative and take risks and invent air conditioning. And once the wealthiest have the units and the technology exits, then the companies have economic incentives to make cheaper units so the middle class can afford it.

The second round of air conditioning then goes to the middle class. The poor are still screwed, however, and liberals mock the idea that air conditioning has helped the least off and our society remains unjust. In fact, what they demand is that air conditioning be distributed equally and the wealthy should be taxed more so that everyone can afford air conditioning.

Now the problem here is that the companies who make the air conditioning have no incentive anymore to innovate or lower their costs. So in this model, the poor can never really afford air conditioning. They might be able to get their hands on it because the rich buy it for them, or rather, are forced to buy it for them.

The liberal goals is for everyone to have air conditioning. A good intention. But on a practical side, the best way for everyone to get air conditioning is for everyone to be able to afford air conditioning. If those conditions don't exist we're better off helping people to get richer and creating market incentives for air conditioning to become cheaper than simply buying air conditioning for everyone merely because our society could conceivably afford it.

Computers are a great model. First, only the super rich companies and government could afford super computers. Next, only the super wealthy, then the middle class, and now, they are in practically every classroom throughout America. Soon, the entire world. And yet, some would complain that it only increases the gap in opportunity for those less off. Maybe their ignoring the truth - everyone is better off. Soon, everyone...rich and poor alike...will have access to all the porn in the world.