causal
Money is not the binding constraint on outputs
Treating funding as a proxy for output ('moneyism') falsely assumes a constant elasticity between dollars invested and outcomes produced; in reality the conversion rate is not a cosmological constant, and the binding constraint may be permits, labor shortages, or other non-financial factors, making spending a poor measure of R&D or scientific output.
causalpending
Speaker
Patrick CollisonEvidence Quote
“By talking about these things in funding and dollar terms, you're making the implicit assumption that the only relevant constraint is the financial one, where in practice, maybe it's permits or labor shortages or other things.”
Created: 6/13/2026, 3:26:23 AM
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