Brad,
I think that is a fair statement. The wonder is that the system works as well as it does, keeping in mind your observation
that "the economy" is a realm of social relations which are at best not friendly (and which in fact often are in varying degrees positively(sic) unfriendly).
I don't think there is any "wonder" to it. (Maybe I'm missing something?) Throw together any number of "competing" forces, and they will eventually reach some kind of equilibrium status (or at least the "survivors" will...). I see it as sort of like that no matter how improbable life is in the universe, and no matter how much more improbable intelligent life is, we wouldn't exist if we did not meet the criteria for existing, i.e., there is entirely no reason for being surprised that we exist, since an a priori condition for our being either surprised or n ot surprised or anything else is that we in fact exist. The thing that would be really surprising is if we didn't exist but knew it. Now *that* would be surprising indeed!
Don't get am-Bush-ed!
\brad mccormick
arthur
-----Original Message----- From: Brad McCormick [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2003 7:51 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Futurework] My ongoing struggle to see the obvious :: Basic question for economists
Why doesn't all economics education and inquiry start with the principle:
Friends hold all things in common. (--Desiderius Erasmus, and others)
?
Since we have markets and such, the first lemma one seems forced to deduce from this principle is that "the economy" is a realm of social relations which are at best not friendly (and which in fact often are in varying degrees positively(sic) unfriendly).
I am being entirely serious here.
\brad mccormick
--
Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16)Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21)
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