Can Economics Be Discussed Without Psychology?
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 9:48 amhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_economics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy
...so I was thinking that maybe macroeconomics shouldn't exist at all because of its intrinsically top-down perspective on how economies exist. They basically operate on the premise of spontaneous generation. If you set up the structure, agency will just magically appear because of how people compete for attention...
...but isn't that the problem? Why would anyone design an anti-social economy where people are expected to compete for attention? The very premise of focusing on structure before agency suggests that people can't control themselves, and that people should be entitled (possibly expected) to behave like animals.
Coincidentally, Keynes believed in exactly this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_spirits_(Keynes)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy
...so I was thinking that maybe macroeconomics shouldn't exist at all because of its intrinsically top-down perspective on how economies exist. They basically operate on the premise of spontaneous generation. If you set up the structure, agency will just magically appear because of how people compete for attention...
...but isn't that the problem? Why would anyone design an anti-social economy where people are expected to compete for attention? The very premise of focusing on structure before agency suggests that people can't control themselves, and that people should be entitled (possibly expected) to behave like animals.
Coincidentally, Keynes believed in exactly this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_spirits_(Keynes)
