Meaningful economics : making the science of prosperity more human /

"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...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wilson, Bart J. (Author)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2024]
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Table of Contents:
  • 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.