Hayek in "Unbroken", Part Two

David Henderson

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Another excerpt from Unbroken (I posted on this yesterday) that illustrates the relative importance of local knowledge, a la Hayek:

Many other great runners also enlisted [in the U.S. military during World War II]. When Norman Bright tried to sign up, he was rejected because of his alarmingly slow pulse, a consequence of his extreme fitness. He solved the problem by running three miles, straight into another enlistment office. [Glenn] Cunningham tried to join the navy, but recruiters, seeing his grotesquely scarred legs, assume that he was too crippled to serve. When someone came in and mentioned his name, they realized who he was and signed him in.

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CATEGORIES: Central Planning vs. Local Knowledge

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John Goodman writes:

David, your email box is full. No one can reach you.

Posted August 9, 2011 4:32 PM

Tracy W writes:

When my brother got a serious brain injury while out on a biking trip training for his Ironman, his training mate, who had merely lost a lot of skin, had to reassure the ambulance staff that a pulse rate of less than 40 bpm was perfectly ordinary for a Ironman athlete at rest.

Posted August 10, 2011 4:53 AM

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