http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
making the science of prosperity more human
1 online resource (xx, 240 pages) : illustrations.
"Economics has a problem. It cannot distinguish the causes of human action from the consequences of human action. It models representations of optimal agents, not flesh-and-blood human beings in ordinary life. Meaningful Economics is about understanding the principles of economics-the exchange of goods and services, the specialization that trade makes possible, and the system of property that undergirds both-in their origins and outcomes rather than exclusively in their consequences. It explains the roots of conduct, and not merely its economic effects, by going to the human capacity for moral sentiments that prompt human beings to act. The book is about what makes meaningfulness the very core of economics. You read that correctly. Meaning and value and purpose have everything to do with traditional talk of economics. Economic science, including, behavioral economics, unintentionally, proceeds as if the human mind does not matter. The origins of our actions-ideas-do indeed matter. They make us human. They make us beings who imagine our futures and who use language to achieve what we wish for. Economics and ethics are, in fact, two sides of the same coin, and, moreover, we can study both sides at the same time. We can study the costs and benefits of our decisions and our motives and goals in an integrated, humanly way. The book builds a science of economics that retains the human mind"--
Scarcity isn't fundamental; the human mind Is -- Economics needs moral sentiments -- And to distinguish cause and effect in meaningful human action -- With universal patterns of human history -- And with human customs and practices -- Human conduct is a challenge to study -- Because there are four ways to explain why we do what we do -- The mind creates human customs -- Why do human beings have the custom of property? -- Why do human beings truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another? -- Why do human beings divide their labor? -- Property rights aren't primary; ideas are -- Preferences do not explain norms; ideas do -- Materials alone can't enrich us; ideas plus materials can.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2024]