3 ms·

I agree that the headline and tone of this article are engaging in unnecessary hyperbole, but this description of Noah Smith's views and arguments are not consi

I agree that the headline and tone of this article are engaging in unnecessary hyperbole, but this description of Noah Smith's views and arguments are not consistent with what I've read. I don't see him arguing for a Grand Theories perspective of economics, and he grounds his arguments in empirical evidence and is vocal about the need to do this. I also think you have contrived an exaggerated view, attributed it to him, and are arguing against that. I'd like to see more quotes to back up your argument because it is difficult to find it persuasive. Doing a quick search I found an older blog post where he touches on a lot of the same points that you just did, so maybe you agree with him more than you think: http://noahpinionblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-reason-macroeconomics-doesnt-work.html http://noahpinionblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-reason-macroe...

zwaps 8y ago
You are probably correct that I am not really reasonable in singling out Noah. I apologize for being wrong here. It's just that he is front and center in in this econ-blog industry that has been often unhelpful in making people with ideas engage the literature in an academic context, which (in other areas) I am a bit bitter about. I am sure he is a nice guy personally, and switching from his AP position without actually doing research to Bloomberg was probably putting more bread on the table, but still, the whole WAY the debate about economics is lead in the public has been stinted away from scientific context toward hostility and tribe mentality, and I do believe he is partly to blame for that.