Evolution, Extinction & Economics

rediguana

"Why Most Things Fail"

- I have a passing interest in economics but this is my first time on this forum. I see people have been commenting on "Freakonomics"? I read it. I was only a little impressed, though I did think the abortion-crime link was compelling, and its subsequent "disproving" may have more to do with PC agendas than anything else.

But I digress. Get the above book by (I think) Paul Ormerod. I haven't read it since it came out a couple of years ago, but I remember being blown away by the style and logic of it.

I'm going to read it again over the next few days* and I'll add titbits to this thread. The Economics Forum being the shrine to tumbleweed that it is, no doubt my own posts will make up the bulk of this thread.

WATCH THIS SPACE.

*weeks

nesf

Um, this is a message forum not a blog... Give us some of the ideas from it so we can discuss them. From the amazon reviews it looks interesting enough to give a few decent topics of discussion.

rediguana

nesf wrote:

Um, this is a message forum not a blog... Give us some of the ideas from it so we can discuss them. From the amazon reviews it looks interesting enough to give a few decent topics of discussion.

Okay okay - don't break my balls

I'll start reading it today...

edanto

So, what's the book about?! Any pearls of wisdom?

The_Minister

nesf wrote:

Um, this is a message forum not a blog... Give us some of the ideas from it so we can discuss them. From the amazon reviews it looks interesting enough to give a few decent topics of discussion.

/Repeat word for word in big-scary-mod-voice.

nesf

You're warning someone for a post that's six months old....

Time Magazine

It's the best we can aspire to in Economics tbh

nesf

Pfft. It's a sloppy shop you run around here. A few weeks in PI or AH should sharpen ye up.

To get back on topic Ibid (albeit slightly late!), Rediguana has a point.

Freakonomics is not that great a book - Its good for people who aren't economists, but in the same way that Dan Brown is good for the promotion of religous iconology.

It oversimplifies and oversexes what economists do, the same as Eat the Rich (or whatever it was called).

Time Magazine

Ibid wrote:

Pfft, it was the others who brought it off-topic :P.

That's no excuse.


EDIT: Awww, ****. I thought I was replying, not editing. Sorry Ibid.

Ibid

Ibid wrote:

Christ almighty did you read Eat the Rich?! It's a travel book with a focus on a particular part of the socio-economic schemata (i.e. the economy) of a few countries. If it's economics, The Da Vinci Code is theology!

Thats my point - there are quite a few books like that claiming to be about 'economics', but in reality are dumbed down points on a few aspects of economics that claim to represent the 'science'.

I think Levitts articles are very good, but he focuses on the more sociological aspect of economics and the book fails to state that. Thats fine when published in the respective journals, but not when being published for 'the great unwashed' as it leads to a misreprensentation of what economists do.

And what are you still doing up??

nesf

These books are aimed at the general masses. There's always a fair bit lost in translation. Except with Feynman, but he was special.

J.S. Pill

Besides not having to read dumbed down books, another advantage of having a good foundation in economics is that you can appreciate humour like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVp8UGjECt4

nesf

J.S. Pill wrote:

Besides not having to read dumbed down books, another advantage of having a good foundation in economics is that you can appreciate humour like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVp8UGjECt4

Thank you, I needed a good laugh.

YouTube banned in work