• LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net
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    10 months ago

    Economics is a historically flawed and ideological science. But I think it’s getting better and more empirical with time. The scientific method works, economists just have the come down from their high horses and actually follow the data.

    • explodicle@sh.itjust.works
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      10 months ago

      That’s easy to say when your mortgage doesn’t depend on the Emperor’s New Clothes being real. Many if not most economists have staked their reputations and networks on pre-empiricism economics.

      It’s not a simple matter of “whoops I was wrong about one thing”. Since the 1970s we’ve turned the world economy upside-down to cater to billionaires and inequality has skyrocketed. It would be like a priest admitting he reassigned molesters for decades.

      • LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net
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        10 months ago

        OK but you can’t treat economists as a monolith. If you want to shame the people who did that then go ahead, but I think there’s a newer group of economists who are deconstructing the propaganda and seeking truth, and they should be encouraged.

    • spujb@lemmy.cafeOP
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      10 months ago

      based. and it’s a weird situation because economists deal with money and money corrupts so there are fallible incentives. just see how trump awarded arthur laffer for his negligible contribution just because his model was convenient for rich people: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-to-award-presidential-medal-of-freedom-to-economist-art-laffer-today/2019/06/19/f1505826-9299-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html