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The scientific side of economics is the description of the properties and behavior of economics systems. The political side is what we should do with this infor

by koube 7y ago

The scientific side of economics is the description of the properties and behavior of economics systems. The political side is what we should do with this information. I think I and the sources I've cited have kept largely to the former, and I'm the only one in the comment chain to at least throw up a graph. Call it what you want, but we should be able to make observations on systems. At the very least it's a step up from say, pointing out that a source comes from libertarians.

CharlesColeman 7y ago
> The scientific side of economics is the description of the properties and behavior of economics systems. The political side is what we should do with this information. No, sorry. It's not that clean cut. Your links had economists stating things like "America’s low-income households benefit the most from free trade and having access to cheap imports." But defining good as having access to cheaper goods is an intensely political statement (even ignoring the fact that statement was made though an organization advocating for a particular political policy). If economics was not political, economists would merely say things like "All else being equal, if our models are correct, increased tariffs will lead to increased domestic prices of international trade goods. However, all else is not equal, so we cannot comment if tariffs are good policy or not."
- koube 7y ago
  > "America’s low-income households benefit the most from free trade and having access to cheap imports." This is a description of a property or behavior of a system. > But defining good as having access to cheaper goods is an intensely political statement This would be apolitical in all but the most semantic of arguments. "Buying the things I want to buy" is assumed to be a good thing by the vast majority of people.
  - CharlesColeman 7y ago
    >> But defining good as having access to cheaper goods is an intensely political statement > This would be apolitical in all but the most semantic of arguments. "Buying the things I want to buy" is assumed to be a good thing by the vast majority of people. That's a myopic view: it's not the only good thing, and it's arguable that it's not even the most important good thing. The politics are embedded in the shape of the myopia.
    - koube 7y ago
      Arguing against that being the most import good thing is the most ridiculous straw man.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]

by koube 7y ago

CharlesColeman 7y ago

> The scientific side of economics is the description of the properties and behavior of economics systems. The political side is what we should do with this information. No, sorry. It's not that clean cut. Your links had economists stating things like "America’s low-income households benefit the most from free trade and having access to cheap imports." But defining good as having access to cheaper goods is an intensely political statement (even ignoring the fact that statement was made though an organization advocating for a particular political policy). If economics was not political, economists would merely say things like "All else being equal, if our models are correct, increased tariffs will lead to increased domestic prices of international trade goods. However, all else is not equal, so we cannot comment if tariffs are good policy or not."

koube 7y ago
> "America’s low-income households benefit the most from free trade and having access to cheap imports." This is a description of a property or behavior of a system. > But defining good as having access to cheaper goods is an intensely political statement This would be apolitical in all but the most semantic of arguments. "Buying the things I want to buy" is assumed to be a good thing by the vast majority of people.
- CharlesColeman 7y ago
  >> But defining good as having access to cheaper goods is an intensely political statement > This would be apolitical in all but the most semantic of arguments. "Buying the things I want to buy" is assumed to be a good thing by the vast majority of people. That's a myopic view: it's not the only good thing, and it's arguable that it's not even the most important good thing. The politics are embedded in the shape of the myopia.
  - koube 7y ago
    Arguing against that being the most import good thing is the most ridiculous straw man.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]