> And society derives no obvious benefits from a profusion of poorly performing ventures. This is where the paper goes from research to opinion piece. It is e

> And society derives no obvious benefits from a profusion of poorly performing ventures. This is where the paper goes from research to opinion piece. It is easily argued that without the failures, there won't be successes. One can also see that while there are many many business failures, there are also unicorns the likes of which the world has not seen before. It is not obvious at all that not having more failed entrepreneurs is a bad thing. Lower life-time earnings is hardly a social cost. If these entrepreneurs ended up on welfare, then perhaps there is an argument. But if they find a fulfilling life doing what they do, and the consequence is they earn less... what problem is it of mine? Why do I need to derive a benefit from them? That seems to be putting my desire for 'stuff' (intangible or not) over their right to do whatever they want with their life. More examples of editorializing: > In contemporary society, the infatuation with entrepreneurs is such that they “are seen as almost having a magical effect on economies—alchemists, whose innovative capacity allows for water to be turned into wine, lead into gold.” (Greene et al, 2008; p. 3). -- citing a source does not make it true