NMU philosophy professor Zac Cogley wrote a piece that appears on The Critique titled “Paul Graham, Silicon Valley & Economic Inequality.” Graham, the co-founder of tech startup investment firm Y Combinator, had been getting attention for a personal essay on economic inequality he posted on his website. Cogley’s piece dissects and responds to Graham’s views, even putting them in the context of the Flint water crisis.

“Graham thinks that given the way technology allows rapid wealth aggregation (especially for successful startup founders), unless we eliminate startups, we won’t get rid of inequality,” Cogley wrote. “And, even worse, if we aim right at inequality we may end up distracting ourselves from the really important issues, like poverty. So Graham’s thought is that even if we fix all our social problems, so long as we allow wealth creation in the age of technology, we’re going to have a ton of wealth inequality. Here’s the problem I have with Graham’s views: we can’t fix and prevent problems like Flint’s water crisis without fixing inequality.”

Read Cogley’s article here. The Critique is an online source of information and discussion about all areas of academic philosophy. It publishes daily content to place the discipline at the center of all major public discussions.