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Jennifer Burns

Published podcast speaker

Claims
46
Episodes
2
Shows
2
Named items
1

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book / uses

The Fountainhead

“People would say things like, “I read The Fountainhead, and now I’m getting a divorce,” having just these incredible realizations.”

Lex Fridman Podcast · 19 Jan 2025

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Claim ledger

What Jennifer said.

46 transcript-backed records

01 / evaluation

The ones who are more drawn to marginal analysis become known as neoclassical economists. They’re neoclassical, the neo is because they’re using marginal analysis, the classical is because they don’t think we need to change the way the economy operates or the government operates, they’re not progressive.

“The ones who are more drawn to marginal analysis become known as neoclassical economists. They’re neoclassical, the neo is because they’re using marginal analysis, the classical is because they don’t think we need to change the way the economy operates or the government operates, they’re not progressive.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

02 / evaluation

” So, that really changes the game. This is also one of his most influential contributions, because Friedman and Schwartz becomes the playbook for the Federal Reserve.

“” So, that really changes the game. This is also one of his most influential contributions, because Friedman and Schwartz becomes the playbook for the Federal Reserve.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

03 / evaluation

He’s a happy warrior, and he actually will win a lot of debates simply by his emotional affect and his cheerfulness and his confidence, where Rand will lose debates because she gets so angry in the face of disagreement.

“He’s a happy warrior, and he actually will win a lot of debates simply by his emotional affect and his cheerfulness and his confidence, where Rand will lose debates because she gets so angry in the face of disagreement.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

04 / evaluation

The marginal value is less. So, what marginalism does though, most importantly, is it opens the door to math and economics, because it means you can graph this now.

“The marginal value is less. So, what marginalism does though, most importantly, is it opens the door to math and economics, because it means you can graph this now.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

06 / belief

Now, it’s tricky because selfishness has so many strong and negative connotations, and she meant I think something closer to self-actualization, because she really tried to create this idea and express the idea that to be truly selfish did not mean trampling on others.

“Now, it’s tricky because selfishness has so many strong and negative connotations, and she meant I think something closer to self-actualization, because she really tried to create this idea and express the idea that to be truly selfish did not mean trampling on others.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

09 / belief

How is that going to be paid for and supported? And again, to go back to Knight, if you’re generating too much inequality or people are feeling that you’re generating too much inequality, sometimes they value that more than they value freedom, and so I think there has to be more of a balance, and it’s hard to make such global statements.

“How is that going to be paid for and supported? And again, to go back to Knight, if you’re generating too much inequality or people are feeling that you’re generating too much inequality, sometimes they value that more than they value freedom, and so I think there has to be more of a balance, and it’s hard to make such global statements.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

11 / belief

I think what it shows is that during the Cold War, he very much believed economic and political freedom, capitalism and freedom, democracy, the United States, capitalism, this all went together.

“I think what it shows is that during the Cold War, he very much believed economic and political freedom, capitalism and freedom, democracy, the United States, capitalism, this all went together.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

12 / belief

When I think about this sort of historical path of communism and the logics and dynamics of communism, in many ways it has some echoes with Rand in that the ideology in its purest form is almost… It’s a rationalist ideology of some ways.

“When I think about this sort of historical path of communism and the logics and dynamics of communism, in many ways it has some echoes with Rand in that the ideology in its purest form is almost… It’s a rationalist ideology of some ways.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

13 / belief

I think he’d be thrilled to see, also, that Milei is very good at explaining these abstract ideas and putting his policies in the framework of the bigger picture.

“I think he’d be thrilled to see, also, that Milei is very good at explaining these abstract ideas and putting his policies in the framework of the bigger picture.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

14 / belief

” The whole thing breaks up. But what I argue in my book is actually this is to the benefit of Rand’s ideas, because Rand herself was so controlling over her ideas.

“” The whole thing breaks up. But what I argue in my book is actually this is to the benefit of Rand’s ideas, because Rand herself was so controlling over her ideas.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

16 / belief

I think [inaudible 03:08:06] you could look at them and say, “These ideas are very provocative and they’re very deep because she’s not taking anything for granted, and she’s flipping everything around and forcing you to really think.

“I think [inaudible 03:08:06] you could look at them and say, “These ideas are very provocative and they’re very deep because she’s not taking anything for granted, and she’s flipping everything around and forcing you to really think.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

17 / belief

I do think some ideas pull on the good side and some ideas pull on the bad side, absolutely. And I think that’s probably why people dislike Rand so much, is they feel like she’s giving license to the bad side, and she’s saying, “It’s okay to be selfish, and it’s okay…” They feel like she’s the dark forces.

“I do think some ideas pull on the good side and some ideas pull on the bad side, absolutely. And I think that’s probably why people dislike Rand so much, is they feel like she’s giving license to the bad side, and she’s saying, “It’s okay to be selfish, and it’s okay…” They feel like she’s the dark forces.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

18 / belief

Let’s realize that you’re carrying a map that’s orienting you to the world in a certain way.” And so I think you have to work really, really hard to have an original idea.

“Let’s realize that you’re carrying a map that’s orienting you to the world in a certain way.” And so I think you have to work really, really hard to have an original idea.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

21 / belief

I think the other thing he would probably be arguing for is, again, going back to the design of the minimum income or the negative income tax, that there’s a way he… Ultimately, he decided to run it through the tax system.

“I think the other thing he would probably be arguing for is, again, going back to the design of the minimum income or the negative income tax, that there’s a way he… Ultimately, he decided to run it through the tax system.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

22 / belief

Even though I think the passion is important for the teaching of the ideas, like this passion is more important for the reading and understanding of them.

“Even though I think the passion is important for the teaching of the ideas, like this passion is more important for the reading and understanding of them.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

23 / evaluation

And so one of the core policy proposals of monetarism is let’s grow the money supply at a steady rate. And in the beginning, Friedman just says K%, he doesn’t even put a number on it because he says the number doesn’t matter.

“And so one of the core policy proposals of monetarism is let’s grow the money supply at a steady rate. And in the beginning, Friedman just says K%, he doesn’t even put a number on it because he says the number doesn’t matter.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

24 / recommendation

I tell my doctoral students, “It’s got to be something that gets you out of bed in the morning, because there comes a point in your doctoral career when there’s nowhere to go.

“I tell my doctoral students, “It’s got to be something that gets you out of bed in the morning, because there comes a point in your doctoral career when there’s nowhere to go.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

25 / evaluation

I think maybe 5 or 10 years earlier, it wouldn’t have been possible. But the most important thing I had to… The person I really had to convince this was worth doing was myself, because I knew it was an unconventional choice for the field and for a dissertation.

“I think maybe 5 or 10 years earlier, it wouldn’t have been possible. But the most important thing I had to… The person I really had to convince this was worth doing was myself, because I knew it was an unconventional choice for the field and for a dissertation.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

26 / evaluation

” Pretty quickly Volcker finds that because of inflation and the financial deregulation in response to it, the aggregates don’t work the way Friedman said they would.

“” Pretty quickly Volcker finds that because of inflation and the financial deregulation in response to it, the aggregates don’t work the way Friedman said they would.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

27 / prediction

The accelerationist thesis, it accelerates. And once inflation gets going, and the reason it gets going is because workers go to the store and they see the price level has gone up, things have cost more.

“The accelerationist thesis, it accelerates. And once inflation gets going, and the reason it gets going is because workers go to the store and they see the price level has gone up, things have cost more.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

28 / evaluation

That’s really what makes her so powerful. So, I think she comes back in to relevancy in a different way than Friedman does, because I think in some ways she’s tapped into a more universal human longing for independence and autonomy and self-creation and self-discovery.

“That’s really what makes her so powerful. So, I think she comes back in to relevancy in a different way than Friedman does, because I think in some ways she’s tapped into a more universal human longing for independence and autonomy and self-creation and self-discovery.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Lex Fridman Podcast

30 / belief

I have to say, there’s a historian — I think he’s at the University of Rhode Island — Robert Van Horn, who’s really excavated a lot of the early life of Aaron Director, and it’s absolutely fascinating.

“I have to say, there’s a historian — I think he’s at the University of Rhode Island — Robert Van Horn, who’s really excavated a lot of the early life of Aaron Director, and it’s absolutely fascinating.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

31 / belief

If you are a person who values tradition and values established norms and social practices, that may not be an environment conducive to creating imaginary worlds. So, I think you need a culture to support artistic creation and fiction creation.

“If you are a person who values tradition and values established norms and social practices, that may not be an environment conducive to creating imaginary worlds. So, I think you need a culture to support artistic creation and fiction creation.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

33 / belief

I think he had opportunities to do that throughout his life, some of which he took and some of which he passed on. But I would say he had a model of that very young in his life when he was a graduate student, in the figure of Henry Simons, who is one of these forgotten figures in the history of economics, who I became absolutely fascinated by.

“I think he had opportunities to do that throughout his life, some of which he took and some of which he passed on. But I would say he had a model of that very young in his life when he was a graduate student, in the figure of Henry Simons, who is one of these forgotten figures in the history of economics, who I became absolutely fascinated by.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

34 / belief

I’m also interested in writing sort of a history of postmodernism because I’ve been teaching an intellectual history class here at Stanford that’s been tracing it across the century, and I think that’s potentially really interesting.

“I’m also interested in writing sort of a history of postmodernism because I’ve been teaching an intellectual history class here at Stanford that’s been tracing it across the century, and I think that’s potentially really interesting.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

37 / belief

I think she was pulling on these tropes, and then she was imagining this heroic manly man, that if she actually ever met in real life, she would not be attracted to and probably not even be able to tolerate, but in her imagination, this could be an idealized partner.

“I think she was pulling on these tropes, and then she was imagining this heroic manly man, that if she actually ever met in real life, she would not be attracted to and probably not even be able to tolerate, but in her imagination, this could be an idealized partner.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

38 / evaluation

People still read Keynes and Mill and figures like that to see what did they say in their day that was so influential. I think that Friedman has got into the water and into the air a bit.

“People still read Keynes and Mill and figures like that to see what did they say in their day that was so influential. I think that Friedman has got into the water and into the air a bit.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

39 / evaluation

I think most of it was manufactured as a campaign against Friedman because ultimately, his impact was similar to what any Western-trained economist would have had.

“I think most of it was manufactured as a campaign against Friedman because ultimately, his impact was similar to what any Western-trained economist would have had.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

40 / evaluation

I would say one of the reasons it’s happened is that conservatism became an establishment, and then you have a set of greatest hits, and you have a variety of ways you can make your living within this establishment, provided you adhere to the greatest hits.

“I would say one of the reasons it’s happened is that conservatism became an establishment, and then you have a set of greatest hits, and you have a variety of ways you can make your living within this establishment, provided you adhere to the greatest hits.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

41 / evaluation

Sometimes I give a talk called “Milton Friedman Was a Woman” because I think if you pulled all the women out of his life, you’d have a good economist, but I don’t know that you’d have a great economist.

“Sometimes I give a talk called “Milton Friedman Was a Woman” because I think if you pulled all the women out of his life, you’d have a good economist, but I don’t know that you’d have a great economist.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

42 / evaluation

He said, “He can’t be trusted, not in that he lacks integrity, but that he’s so committed to what he wants to see that he will selectively interpret the data.” It’s interesting because I see in his letters with him and Schwartz, at one point he says to her, “We didn’t just go and take a bunch of monetary statistics to see what we wanted to see.

“He said, “He can’t be trusted, not in that he lacks integrity, but that he’s so committed to what he wants to see that he will selectively interpret the data.” It’s interesting because I see in his letters with him and Schwartz, at one point he says to her, “We didn’t just go and take a bunch of monetary statistics to see what we wanted to see.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

43 / evaluation

The presidential lecture he gave in 1967, saying there wasn’t a long-run tradeoff between inflation and unemployment — there are definitely several key figures in the British political establishment who found that made a big impact on their thinking because they felt like they were living that.

“The presidential lecture he gave in 1967, saying there wasn’t a long-run tradeoff between inflation and unemployment — there are definitely several key figures in the British political establishment who found that made a big impact on their thinking because they felt like they were living that.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

44 / evaluation

She, in the end, would say, “Russia, it’s just a mystical state.” It’s interesting because, in recent years, when we’ve seen the glories, the fantasies of Mother Russia, or the role of the Russian Orthodox Church, the mythic importance of Kyiv, or whatever it may be, I think back to Ayn Rand grumbling, “It’s just a mystical state, and they’re all obsessed with mysticism.

“She, in the end, would say, “Russia, it’s just a mystical state.” It’s interesting because, in recent years, when we’ve seen the glories, the fantasies of Mother Russia, or the role of the Russian Orthodox Church, the mythic importance of Kyiv, or whatever it may be, I think back to Ayn Rand grumbling, “It’s just a mystical state, and they’re all obsessed with mysticism.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler

46 / evaluation

The other thing I would say — I talk about this in some detail as well — in the 1950s, there was a large conflict at the University of Chicago between Friedman and a group associated with the economics department, the Cowles Commission.

“The other thing I would say — I talk about this in some detail as well — in the 1950s, there was a large conflict at the University of Chicago between Friedman and a group associated with the economics department, the Cowles Commission.”
Speaker
Jennifer Burns
Publisher
Conversations with Tyler
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