Attack Of The Self-Control Snatchers!

Here is the abstract from a neuropsychology research paper entitled “A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth and public safety“:

Policy-makers are considering large-scale programs aimed at self-control to improve citizens’ health and wealth and reduce crime. Experimental and economic studies suggest such programs could reap benefits. Yet, is self-control important for the health, wealth, and public safety of the population? Following a cohort of 1,000 children from birth to the age of 32 y, we show that childhood self-control predicts physical health, substance dependence, personal finances, and criminal offending outcomes, following a gradient of self-control. Effects of children’s self-control could be disentangled from their intelligence and social class as well as from mistakes they made as adolescents. In another cohort of 500 sibling-pairs, the sibling with lower self-control had poorer outcomes, despite shared family background. Interventions addressing self-control might reduce a panoply of societal costs, save tax-payers money, and promote prosperity.

The progressives are out to improve society once more! And as per usual, it’s to “save tax-payers money”. Of course, first they’re going to SPEND a little tax-payer money, first. But all is well, these kinds of “investments” will more than pay for themselves in time. That’s why the cost of government keeps shrinking and our economy keeps growing and growing!

I guess the case for free will just gets weaker by the day? And since our actions and decisions are so deterministic and imperfect, of course it logically implies that an extra-social institution with a coercive monopoly could improve each and every one of us. The State truly is inevitable. I’m so glad we have government-funded neuropsychology researchers to help us figure this out.