Rozalia Sofia on Nostr: im sitting in microeconomics lecture right now. dont worry folks, nobody is holding a ...
im sitting in microeconomics lecture right now. dont worry folks, nobody is holding a gun to my head. i took this elective on purpose—i think that in spite of disagreeing strongly with this material, its worth knowing it so that i can engage in critique and understand my own position better.
my prof, whose name is among those on the cover of the mandatory 99$ e-book that i had to buy for the course, is a passionate lecturer who is clearly in love with his field. however, as he also said, "i have no friends because i am an economist." he says that when people complain to him about, say, high grocery prices, he explains that they are the consequence of demand and supply curves, and that imposing a price control or planned production would result in a disequilibrium and a shortage of groceries.
he claims, with good old adam smith, that the greatest good for the greatest number is brought about by the invisible hand of the market. ironically, he claims that his position is one of "positive" rather than "normative" economics, that is, that he does not impose value judgments on the state of the market; and he even claims that economics is therefore APOLITICAL, and that those who want to politicize economics are trying to overthrow the market.
well, i guess he isnt wrong about the last bit for me. but that isnt apolitical at all, except insofar as a blind adherence to the status quo is apolitical. it isnt free of value judgment at all—it baffles me how his cognitive dissonance can hold these ideas in the same hand. i would really rather him just admit his bias.
my prof, whose name is among those on the cover of the mandatory 99$ e-book that i had to buy for the course, is a passionate lecturer who is clearly in love with his field. however, as he also said, "i have no friends because i am an economist." he says that when people complain to him about, say, high grocery prices, he explains that they are the consequence of demand and supply curves, and that imposing a price control or planned production would result in a disequilibrium and a shortage of groceries.
he claims, with good old adam smith, that the greatest good for the greatest number is brought about by the invisible hand of the market. ironically, he claims that his position is one of "positive" rather than "normative" economics, that is, that he does not impose value judgments on the state of the market; and he even claims that economics is therefore APOLITICAL, and that those who want to politicize economics are trying to overthrow the market.
well, i guess he isnt wrong about the last bit for me. but that isnt apolitical at all, except insofar as a blind adherence to the status quo is apolitical. it isnt free of value judgment at all—it baffles me how his cognitive dissonance can hold these ideas in the same hand. i would really rather him just admit his bias.