Why does a public discussion of economic policy so often show the abysmal ignorance of the participants?

You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.

I remember once reading that it is still not understood how the giraffe manages to pump an adequate blood supply all the way up to its head; but it is hard to imagine that anyone would conclude tht giraffes do not have long necks. At least not anyone who had ever been to a zoo

But part of the job of economics is weeding out errors. That is much harder than making them, but also more fun.

Why does a public discussion of economic policy so often show the abysmal ignorance of the participants?

It is a good idea to be ambitious, to have goals, to want to be good at what you do, but it is a terrible mistake to let drive and ambition get in the way of treating people with kindness and decency. The point is not that they will then be nice to you. It is that you will feel better about yourself.

The world can, in effect, get along without natural resources, so exhaustion is just an event, not a catastrophe.