Perhaps learning economics turns all those would-be conservative economists into libertarians?
It doesn't have that effect on (most) leftists, because (a la the Simplistic Theory of Left and Right), leftists have a deep-seated antipathy to markets. But maybe libertarianism is so obviously correct that anyone who doesn't start out with anti-market antipathy becomes a libertarian upon studying economics in detail.
“religion-friendly in ways that make an uneasy fit with the homo economicus assumptions “
I wish he would be more explicit here. It’s very tempting to think that he is making the common mistake of viewing homo economicus as a normative imperative, rather than simply a modeling simplification. And obviously anyone who is dissatisfied with one method could offer an alternative, which he does not do. That is, instead of saying something like “this is the wrong way to do it, I know a better way,” he effectively says “that’s how one should do economics, so I just won’t do economics“.
It also depends on which version of homo economicus we are talking about, the simplistic one that always evaluates things in terms of money, and ignores any non-monetary issue, versus one that has preferences, and prefers A to B whether or not A increases his monetary net worth over B. Even the simplistic one can’t view things purely in terms of net worth, or it would never consume anything.
“ social conservatism is considered uniquely socially disreputable in elite culture, in ways that libertarianism and economic conservatism are not. “
I have a feeling this results from his own particular experiences and bias, not from objective observation. Naturally, my own experience and bias similarly may be misleading me.
Perhaps learning economics turns all those would-be conservative economists into libertarians?
It doesn't have that effect on (most) leftists, because (a la the Simplistic Theory of Left and Right), leftists have a deep-seated antipathy to markets. But maybe libertarianism is so obviously correct that anyone who doesn't start out with anti-market antipathy becomes a libertarian upon studying economics in detail.
wsds
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“religion-friendly in ways that make an uneasy fit with the homo economicus assumptions “
I wish he would be more explicit here. It’s very tempting to think that he is making the common mistake of viewing homo economicus as a normative imperative, rather than simply a modeling simplification. And obviously anyone who is dissatisfied with one method could offer an alternative, which he does not do. That is, instead of saying something like “this is the wrong way to do it, I know a better way,” he effectively says “that’s how one should do economics, so I just won’t do economics“.
It also depends on which version of homo economicus we are talking about, the simplistic one that always evaluates things in terms of money, and ignores any non-monetary issue, versus one that has preferences, and prefers A to B whether or not A increases his monetary net worth over B. Even the simplistic one can’t view things purely in terms of net worth, or it would never consume anything.
“ social conservatism is considered uniquely socially disreputable in elite culture, in ways that libertarianism and economic conservatism are not. “
I have a feeling this results from his own particular experiences and bias, not from objective observation. Naturally, my own experience and bias similarly may be misleading me.
“All good points, “
Are they? Interesting perhaps.