One of many themes running through Bryan Caplan’s work is his willingness to challenge Chesterton’s Fence. On democracy, education, and borders: he is happy to stand relatively isolated and call for change. He doesn’t do so out of blind optimism and understands that long-run policies or institutions might serve a purpose. After a careful (and seemingly painfully laborious) analysis, he finds they fall short of their stated goals. His proposals aren’t crazy either - usually, they’re simple: open borders and remove/reduce governmental education funding. He prefers a neutral position from which we can act wisely rather than continuing the status quo “just because”.