RE: RE: Re: Economics as religion

["Max B. Sawicky" <sawicky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

normative assumptions seem inherent in the process of building models.
Models, by their very nature, simplify empirical reality in order to
understand it. Then you must decide which simplifying assumptions to make.
The standard one is "perfect competition without externalities (etc.)" -- so
that the standard model involves a clearly normative assumption, saying that
the real world is close to being a utopia. One could assume monopolistic

mbs:  that sounds like a positive assumption to me.
a normative one would be that perfect competition
is a desirable state, but to assume there is pc, or
even that it is inevitable, does not imply it is
desirable.

I'm looking forward to reading the paper; haven't yet.