[PEN-L:29962] Re: Varian quotes Marx

[Doug Henwood <dhenwood@xxxxxxxxx>]

Devine, James wrote:

> New York TIMES/August 29, 2002
>
> When Economics Shifts From Science to Engineering
> By HAL R. VARIAN
>
>
> ECONOMISTS think of themselves as scientists; their primary goal is
> to understand how the economy works. But scientific knowledge is not
> their only goal; as a famous economist once remarked, "The point is
> not to understand the world, but to change it."
>
> (<http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/29/business/29SCEN.html?tntemail0>http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/29/business/29SCEN.html?tntemail0)

Yes, and later this distinguished economist writes:

> Other economic engineering projects have not fared so well, with the
> California electricity market being a notorious example. The "famous
> economist" quoted above was Karl Marx, who also had ideas about
> economic design that ended disastrously.

Marx as economic designer? The things you learn reading the NYT!

Doug