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"Left wing kookiness"
Robert Sturgeon wrote:
On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 05:33:31 GMT, Jonathan Ball wrote: Robert Sturgeon wrote: On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 15:13:56 -1000, Maren Purves wrote: paghat wrote: In article , Greylock wrote: Good science is apolitical. If one may define economics as political, as a physicist I have a hard time defining economics (at least the areas you go on to describe) as science ... Economics is a subset of psychology Uh...no. Not even close. Oh, not close - correct. Economics is the study of choice under constraint. And that isn't psychology? No. Not in the least. Since when??? Since Adam Smith and Jean Baptiste Say first began thinking about it. The field doesn't care in the least WHY consumer preference is what it is; preferences are taken as a given. That people HAVE preferences, or what those preferences are? Of course people have preferences, but they aren't universal. "Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks." Psychologists may wish to understand human preferences; economists don't. Oh, sure they do. No, they don't. Or else why do "liberal" econmomists and libertarian economists not agree about the effects of high tax rates? They do. An economics professor I once had told us of an alleged contest, maybe back in the 1940s or 1950s, to define economics in 30 words or fewer. I still remember the definition he gave us, over 30 years ago: Economics is the branch of learning that deals with the social organization and process by which the scarce means of production are directed towards the satisfaction of human wants. economics (èk´e-nòm´îks, ê´ke-) noun Abbr. econ. 1. (used with a sing. verb). The social science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services and with the theory and management of economies or economic systems. 2. (used with a sing. or pl. verb). Economic matters, especially relevant financial considerations: "Economics are slowly killing the family farm" (Christian Science Monitor). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation. All rights reserved. psychology (sì-kòl´e-jê) noun plural psychologies Abbr. psych., psychol. 1. The science that deals with mental processes and behavior. Right: nothing to do with production, distribution or consumption. 2. The emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual, a group, or an activity: the psychology of war. 3. Subtle tactical action or argument used to manipulate or influence another: He used poor psychology on his employer when trying to make the point. 4. Philosophy. The branch of metaphysics that studies the soul, the mind, and the relationship of life and mind to the functions of the body. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation. All rights reserved. I stand by my original assertion. You stand by an error. Economics is OBVIOUSLY a subset of psychology. No, plainly it is not. Economists are people who apply psychology to "production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services." No, I'm sorry, you're wrong. See what I said earlier: consumer preferences are accepted as a given; they are not within the purview of economics, not in any way. |
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