Re: People who think that "rational economic man" is sociopathic might find this a bit humorous

[Jim Devine <jdevine03@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 1/15/06, Michael Nuwer <nuwermj@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Jim, what is it that like about Heyne's book?

I _don't_ like Heyne's book. Rather, it's the idea of having a small
list of aspects to a "way of thinking" that I think may be useful.

> It seems
> to me that Heyne (and his coauthors) ascribe to the
> tautology discussed earlier in this thread. For
> example, Heyne writes:
>
> "It is often said that rush-hour urban traffic is
> inefficient because it is made up predominantly of
> single passenger vehicles. That is an insupportable
> claim. Those who drive alone rather than forming a car
> pool or taking the bus are implicitly showing that
> they place a higher value on the benefits relative to
> the costs of driving alone than of any available
> alternative."
>
> The Austrian's bait and switch is a bit different from
> the neo-classical version, but it is still a bait and
> switch. ;-)

the guy's (Heyne's) never heard of external costs?

--
Jim Devine
"The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an
intimate knowledge of its ugly side." -- James Baldwin