584. How to Pave the Road to Hell

584.如何铺设通往地狱的道路

Freakonomics Radio

社会与文化

2024-04-18

43 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

So you want to help people? That’s great — but beware the law of unintended consequences. Three stories from the modern workplace.

单集文稿 ...

  • Hey there, it's Steven Dubner.

  • Before we get to today's episode, I want to ask for your help for a special series we are just starting to make.

  • It is about mentorship, and this is where you come in.

  • We are looking for some good stories.

  • It could be about a mentorship in business or academia or in sports.

  • It could be a spiritual mentor or someone who helped you become a better parent or spouse.

  • Or maybe you are the mentor, or maybe you have a mentor who doesn't even know they are your mentor.

  • No relationship is too small or too weird.

  • If it matters to you, send us an email with some of the particulars we are@radioreakonomics.com we look forward to reading your stories and interviewing some of you for this series.

  • Thanks in advance.

  • And now today's episode.

  • Here's a phrase you have probably heard.

  • The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

  • The sentiment goes back at least to the Bible, but the way it's used today likely began with the 18th century writer Samuel Johnson.

  • Since then, versions of the phrase have appeared in the works of Charlotte Bronte and Lord Byron, Soren Kierkegaard and Karl Marx, Ozzy Osborn and Madonna.

  • Good intentions?

  • Yeah, yeah.

  • But how would an economist think about it?

  • I would say economics is fundamentally about trade offs, and there are always trade offs.

  • Today on free economics radio, three stories about good intentions gone bad in the workplace.