tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post3768510234193167033..comments2024-03-27T03:00:27.024-04:00Comments on Facts & other stubborn things: A nice piece for people who flip out when economists talk about optimizing agentsEvanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259004160963531720noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-27875234691002570752013-06-25T04:20:35.231-04:002013-06-25T04:20:35.231-04:00Oh, I'm not disputing that. (I've just bee...Oh, I'm not disputing that. (I've just been flipping through McCloskey's "The Rhetoric of Economics" again. While she certainly wasn't the first, she is one person who conveys these points very well.)<br /><br />Still, if we're going to talk optimizing plants and economists, then a nod to Friedman seems pretty appropriate to me!Grant McDermotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11868318397832070394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-74084550462269637152013-06-24T19:05:28.046-04:002013-06-24T19:05:28.046-04:00What is amazing about that book is that it forward...What is amazing about that book is that it forwards a philosophy of science that was already dead at the time the book was written! Economists have a knack for this: just as it became clear to philosophers that Popper's program had failed to demarcate science from non-science, we saw all sorts of economists embracing Popper.gcallahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-37419852670303764852013-06-24T18:23:52.175-04:002013-06-24T18:23:52.175-04:00Friedman (1953), The Methodology of Positive Econo...Friedman (1953), The Methodology of Positive Economics.<br /><br />Optimizing tree leaves FTW.Grant McDermotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11868318397832070394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-10327704602631166472013-06-24T17:24:30.285-04:002013-06-24T17:24:30.285-04:00It goes both ways. I wouldn't assume that ever...It goes both ways. I wouldn't assume that everyone who criticizes the use of optimization doesn't know what they're talking about - although it's clear that many don't. As with most things, there are legitimate and illegitimate arguments against the use of optimization; it's really contextual. <br /><br />Here's a different version of your last sentence: <br /><br />"When people get upset about the people that get upset about models that use optimization, it's a pretty good indicator that they (sometimes) don't understand what those people are upset about!"edarniwnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-48249525363636201202013-06-24T16:54:15.997-04:002013-06-24T16:54:15.997-04:00See Lynn Margulis as an example of someone who veh...See Lynn Margulis as an example of someone who vehemently objects to this approach in biology. Not that I agree with her. Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18341935691462262579noreply@blogger.com