- To: gang8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, cornelia.wunsch@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Subject: [gang8] EXOGENOUS IS EUTHANIZED
- From: Hudsonmi@xxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2001 11:20:52 EST
- Delivered-to: mailing list gang8@yahoogroups.com
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On Saturday, Nov. 3, the New York Times had an article "Exogenous is Euthanized."
What a wonderful title, I thought. What could the topic be? Finally, was the scope of economics being extended? After all, everything that we think important - debt and finance, the environment, culture and social institutions, technology and politics - has been excluded from economics as it has narrowed into an academic discipline. Might the idea of dismissing all of society's real dynamics as "exogenous" finally have been rejected?
Well, imagine my surprise when the article turned out to be on the Sports page, and concerned horse racing!
"The filly [a female horse] Exogenous was euthanized yesterday because of complications from a brain hemorrhage resulting from a fall before the Breeders' Cub Distaff last Saturday at Belmont Park."
Well at least is there not some cosmic metaphor here? Euthanized because of a brain hemorrhage! Isn't that what academic economics has suffered in its monetarist variety, trivialized by complex mathematics and so forth?
At first the horse's trainer hoped "that Exogenous might have sustained only a concussion and might race again." I guess that's what economists hope for - that when we introduce debt and political institutions, our contribution may not really be fatal to it, but may only prove to be only a concussion. "But the 3-year old Exogenous took a turn for the worse during the week and could no longer stand on her own."
Well, I leave it to you to fill in the metaphor.
The veterinarian said that 'The tissue kept swelling around her brain, and that was the main cause of all the complications. She was a fighter, but at around 2:30, she had a significant seizure and a decision to euthanize her was made after that.'
I couldn't have said it better. The "seizure" is what historians of ideas would call "perception of an anomaly," such as we are seeking to popularize.
"Exogenous, the second choice in the Distaff, was apparently spooked as she entered the track, tumbled and hit her head."
"Hit her head." Well I guess that's how the monetarists will feel if we ever get around to organizing a colloquium on saving and credit.
Michael
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