by Summary:
“The test of science is its ability to predict”— Richard Feynman Is economics "cargo cult science" (Richard Feynman)? Of course, as I point out in my forthcoming book Quantum Economics, economics should not be compared directly with weather forecasting. For one thing, the fact that economists’ predictions and models affect the economy (the financial crisis of 2008 for example was in part caused by faulty economic risk models) means that their responsibility is more like that of engineers or doctors. Instead of predicting exactly when the system will crash (no one has ever asked for a precise ‘date’), they should warn of risks, incorporate design features to help avoid failure, know how to address problems when they occur, and be alert for conflicts of interest and ethical violations. The
Topics:
Mike Norman considers the following as important: cargo cult science, economics profession
This could be interesting, too:
“The test of science is its ability to predict”— Richard Feynman Is economics "cargo cult science" (Richard Feynman)? Of course, as I point out in my forthcoming book Quantum Economics, economics should not be compared directly with weather forecasting. For one thing, the fact that economists’ predictions and models affect the economy (the financial crisis of 2008 for example was in part caused by faulty economic risk models) means that their responsibility is more like that of engineers or doctors. Instead of predicting exactly when the system will crash (no one has ever asked for a precise ‘date’), they should warn of risks, incorporate design features to help avoid failure, know how to address problems when they occur, and be alert for conflicts of interest and ethical violations. The
Topics:
Mike Norman considers the following as important: cargo cult science, economics profession
This could be interesting, too:
Mike Norman writes REVIEW ESSAY–The Reformation in Economics: A Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Economic Theory by Philip Pilkington Marc Morgan
Mike Norman writes Three Economic Ideas Threatening to Defenders of the Status Quo — Peter Cooper
Mike Norman writes Bill Mitchell — Be careful of what parades as academic research (Uber)
Mike Norman writes Political Economy? — Peter Radford
“The test of science is its ability to predict”— Richard FeynmanIs economics "cargo cult science" (Richard Feynman)?
Of course, as I point out in my forthcoming book Quantum Economics, economics should not be compared directly with weather forecasting. For one thing, the fact that economists’ predictions and models affect the economy (the financial crisis of 2008 for example was in part caused by faulty economic risk models) means that their responsibility is more like that of engineers or doctors. Instead of predicting exactly when the system will crash (no one has ever asked for a precise ‘date’), they should warn of risks, incorporate design features to help avoid failure, know how to address problems when they occur, and be alert for conflicts of interest and ethical violations. The profession’s failings in these areas, rather than any particular forecast, are the real reason so many are calling for a genuinely new paradigm in economics, as opposed to a rehashed version of the old one....Evonomics
The Economics Debate: The Problem isn’t Bad Economics, It’s Bad ScienceDavid Orrell is an applied mathematician and author of popular science books. He studied mathematics at the University of Alberta, and obtained his doctorate from Oxford University on the prediction of nonlinear systems. His work in applied mathematics and complex systems research has since led him to diverse areas such as weather forecasting, economics, and cancer biology.