Devine, James wrote: >New York TIMES/August 29, 2002 > >When Economics Shifts From Science to Engineering >By HAL R. VARIAN > > >ECONOMISTS think of themselves as scientists; their primary goal is >to understand how the economy works. But scientific knowledge is not >their only goal; as a famous economist once remarked, "The point is >not to understand the world, but to change it." > >(<http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/29/business/29SCEN.html?tntemail0>http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/29/business/29SCEN.html?tntemail0)
Yes, and later this distinguished economist writes: >Other economic engineering projects have not fared so well, with the >California electricity market being a notorious example. The "famous >economist" quoted above was Karl Marx, who also had ideas about >economic design that ended disastrously. Marx as economic designer? The things you learn reading the NYT! Doug
