Why is economics the 'dismal science' ?

The Dismal Science - extrapolating doom & gloom to apocalypse now!

Thomas Carlyle was writing in support of slavery when he coined the term 'dismal science'. He believed -

'it is unwise to have a situation where supply & demand is the all sufficient substitute for command'

It was kowtowing to market forces which he (and many others) found 'dismal'.

Many assumed he was writing about the pessimistic predictions of Malthus and population growth but his real gripe was the apparent way economics undermined human choice. It was the old debate about intelligent design or evolution?

Intelligent design is not confined to religious fundamentalist, it applies to all Soothsayers who believe in a supernatural capacity to manipulate the future. It is the plausible assumption underpinning of much of the 'Standard Social Science Model' and mainstream neo-classical economics - the assumption of 'rational calculating man' and 'human purposeful intent' ... but when we come to the fork in the road how do we know whether to go right or left?

Imitating yesterday's success is a good place to start ... but even if that can figured out ... the numbers are prone to change ... there are fundamental truths underpinning all decisions -

* nobody can foresee their future consequences and 

* nobody knows how other folk will respond to them ... 

Evolutionary economics - discovery & accumulation of survival tricks by actively generating & testing innovative ideas!

Evolution seems to have been going on since the big bang at the latest ( ! ) and the explanatory power of evolutionary economics can be applied quite generally, exposing the improbability of the supernatural magic that some folk call intelligent design. 

Perhaps intelligent design is about exciting experiments in the imagination?

The fun way to survive, and maybe the only way, is to generate & test, discover & accumulate ... and discard the failures ... and thus adapt? Discovery and social accumulation of ticks is quite uplifting and far too exciting to be described as dismal.

Here are some stories and some personal polemics for you to argue about - use your imagination !!

The Apapa Generators - did my own education start under the soap pans in Apapa?

Mitochondrial Eve - how on earth do you choose a wife? - a light hearted look at decision making - the story turns out to be about adaptation not intelligent design?

Ricardo's Friends - trade & technology pave the way - some fun with unlikely co-operative gains - it seems that specialisation is necessary for synergy?

Tommy Jeffers - was freedom & democracy invented? - another implausible tale about the downfall of intelligent design - economies of scale call for cunning protection from parasites and predators? - larger groups have big advantages ... if only you could stop them falling apart?

 Crickey Dickie - a Pandora's Box of co-operation & trust - can complex chemistry really distinguish between good and evil? - can tort law evolve? - is there an internal moral logic to evolution? 

The Kelsall Pulpit - a few notes about science & religion - can evolutionary economic analysis help explain magic, myths & illusions?

Intelligent Design - rational purposeful intentional plans aren't what they seem to be - is this tale an outrageous example of the arrogance of tax and spend and red tape? - adaptation requires diversity, competition, failure and growth in populations ... so what is rational purposeful intentional planning?

War in Iraq - cultural tit for tat? - some notes on evolutionary economic analysis ... so why do we get our knickers in a twist?

a Garden of Forking Paths - fun with labyrinths & evolutionary metaphors? - central to economics is the thorny problem of human decision making - Jorge Luis Borges' great story introduces an interesting metaphor ... but does it help?

a Quiz  - do you believe in Evolution? - to really get you thinking ... so does the whole shebang really evolve?