If You're So Smart

The Narrative of Economic Expertise

By: Deirdre N. McCloskey

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Paperback | 15 May 1992 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
190 Pages

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New edition

Dimensions(cm)
2.16 x 1.39 x 0.12

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In this witty, accessible, and revealing book, McCloskey demystifies economic theory and practice to show that behind the economists claim to certainty is the ancient art of 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." "Mr. McCloskey is more interesting on an uninspired day than most of his peers can manage at their very best."--Peter Passell, "New York Times" Donald N. McCloskey is John F. Murray Professor of Economics and professor of history at the University of Iowa.

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Non-Fiction Economics Econometrics

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Non-Fiction Economics Econometrics

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
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

If You're So Smart

The Narrative of Economic Expertise

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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