If You're So Smart The Narrative of Economic Expertise

Name: If You're So Smart The Narrative of Economic Expertise
Price: 4.65 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780226556710

ISBN-10: 0226556719

ISBN-13: 9780226556710

Edition: 1992

Authors: Deirdre N. McCloskey, Deirdre N. McCloskey

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Description:

In this witty, accessible, and revealing book, Deirdre McCloskey demystifies economic theory and practice to show that behind the economists claim to certainty is the ancient art ofnbsp; storytelling. If You're So Smart will engage, enlighten, and empower anyone trying to evaluate the experts who stand ready to engineer our lives. "Writing with delicious wit and great seriousness."--Publishers Weekly. " "McCloskey is more interesting on an uninspired day than most of her peers can manage at their very best."--Peter Passell, New York Times

Book details

List price: $28.00
Copyright year: 1992
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication date: 5/15/1992
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 190
Size: 0.55" wide x 0.85" long x 0.05" tall
Weight: 0.572
Language: English



Preface


Introduction Modernism narrowed the conception that economists had of their science



Telling Stories Economically Economics in fact uses metaphors, which is to say, models. But it also uses stories—stylized facts—about the weight of taxes or the rise of industry



Plot and Genre in Economics The analogy of economics with the writing of stories can be pushed far, from genre to the implied author



The Politics of Stories in Historical Economics If economists are storytellers they are historians. The stories of economics show in historical economics, such as that surrounding England's decline from Number One



Economic Rhetoric in Aid of the Story Line Every element of rhetoric supports the expert's story



The Scholar's Story A great historical economist told his story more self-consciously than most economists. One can unveil a rhetoric without invariably finding badness



Metaphors Against the Story:nbsp;Chaos and Counterfactuals Metaphors and stories can get in each other's way, as in the hypothesis contrary to fact and in the telling of stories about explosive times



The Poetics and Economics of Magic The story uncriticized by a metaphor or the metaphor uncriticized by a story is magic, against which economics warns



The American Question: If You're So Smart Why Ain't You Rich? Get-rich-quick schemes, for example, with their reversal of status, are stories. But they are defective, magical. The mere critic cannot advise so well



The Limits of Criticism Such criticism of criticism applies beyond economics. Economists and other social experts can tell wise stories of the past, but cannot profitably predict



Keeping the Company of Economists Storytelling by an economic expert affects his character, and then his economics



The Common Weal and Economic Stories The stories told well or ill govern policy. The story of American economic "failure" (a replay of the British story) is a dangerous example. Humans need stories, but they need them to be watched. A humanistic and interpretive economics, which keeps the mathematics but is aware of its stories, can do the watching


Works Cited


Index