So, I think I said this list was over, but maybe I meant to say it just wasn't regular (anymore). Life is full of contradictions, so says Deirdre McCloskey and William Upski. Deirdre is a pretty famous economist, both in theory and applied mathematics. She teaches at the university of Illinois Chicago and studied with the big dogs at University of Chicago and Harvard. She knows her shit. What"s interesting about Deirdre (well, many things), but I like her "humanistic" approach to understanding economics.

Before economics was a profession, economists came from science (Newton), literature (Goethe), philosophy (John Locke) and so on. Newton was responsible for the great recoinage of England (1694). Goethe was an informal (but influential) economic advisor to the court of Weimar. Locke, in addition to his work in politics and social science, "advocate[d] maintaining the interest rate and not devaluing the currency. He distinguished between value and price, related market value to supply and demand, and saw price as determined by the amount of money available in relation to supply and demand." (http://www.cpm.ehime-u.ac.jp/AkamacHomePage/Akamac_E-text_Links/Locke.html). This is just to say that the study of "the economy" is a pursuit beyond mere math - it involves ideas, philosophy, art, human emotion, etc... (And this is some of what Deirdre has to say). It may seem obvious to us... but a quick glance at most economics graduate programs in the country would have us believe otherwise.

It"s kind of depressing. Math. Math. Math. Where is the love?

I read a small book in the spring, and sadly ill have to go find it again to give you the title... but it was a quick summary of early economic theorists. it seems most were something first and economists second. Studying the economy was not a "discipline" - it was a part of the world that touched many disciplines. economics is not alone in our hyper specialized world, but I do declare, it's what I love studying most - that is, economics in the old sense, not just numbers, but the relation of numbers and society. so three cheers for Deirdre. you can read more about her here.... http://tigger.uic.edu/~deirdre2/ - she also has a bit to say about contradiction - about how socialists work in corporate America, and how libertarians pay taxes, and so on. We live in a world of contradictions and we must muster our way through it all day in and day out to stay sane. It"s hard. It"s reality.

William Upski wrote the cult classic "bomb the suburbs" about how white suburban kids were killing hip hop (and other things) in Chicago. it was a great, however reactionary adolescent, book. However, in his second book (no more prisons) he admits that he too was a criminal in the gentrification racket - heir to a furniture empire and son of two university of Chicago professors, who spent childhood in a lavish home in Hyde Park, waiting to cash in an enormous trust fund. he handled this issue well, and frankly was damn brave to write about it after his first book. he spends the whole first chapter talking about contradictions - about being rich and feeling empathetic with the poor, about liking comfort and hating the world which grants his and denies others, and so on.... it's worth reading. he also has tips for young wealthy people on how to better give away their money to make "more and responsible change." It's good advice.





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