tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-924316815185498346.post5824877208733973939..comments2023-12-24T16:36:39.633-05:00Comments on V = I·R: A priori penguinsAnarchist Chossidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-924316815185498346.post-40769799456103174712010-05-27T06:59:04.212-04:002010-05-27T06:59:04.212-04:00Also, the problem with empirical approach is that ...Also, the problem with empirical approach is that multiple interpretations are always possible. Socialism didn’t work in Russia because Russians are a bunch of uneducated shlemazl peasants. The current economic crisis was not caused by the government intervention with liberal agenda of making housing more accessible (which collapsed housing market, bringing down everything else), but because there was not enough regulation. Etc., etc.<br /><br />You can’t have a controlled experiment with economics.<br /><br />I don’t know. The whole idea of a priori approach to economics doesn’t sit too well with me either, but I am biased.Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-924316815185498346.post-50943965877367252352010-05-27T06:31:42.416-04:002010-05-27T06:31:42.416-04:00Perhaps one can show a priori that that is not tru...Perhaps one can show a priori that that is not true.<br /><br />Furthermore, that is not the problem with socialism — that it assumes unrealistic ideals about people’s nature. See a few posts back, “What’s wrong with socialism?”Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-924316815185498346.post-25156754778540000512010-05-27T01:58:22.152-04:002010-05-27T01:58:22.152-04:00et tu e?et tu e?Just like a guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680468025321981540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-924316815185498346.post-4029022184331506162010-05-26T23:10:12.817-04:002010-05-26T23:10:12.817-04:00Economics needs to be studied empirically so that ...Economics needs to be studied empirically so that we should be able to see how well reality reflects our assumptions. Otherwise we'll go through life with silly assumptions, such as "under a socialist system, people will cooperate to produce the greatest good for the greatest amount of people."ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04376537400767851942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-924316815185498346.post-2646755534069341072010-05-26T19:05:36.897-04:002010-05-26T19:05:36.897-04:00Are you saying that Darwin’s TE is an a priori the...Are you saying that Darwin’s TE is an a priori theory? That’s interesting.<br /><br />I think making an additional assumption (axiom) besides those made by Darwin makes it so.<br /><br /><br />Re: economics: I think the question is not necc. empirical. We are not trying to explain causal relationship. We are saying that logically, necessarily, whenever a minimum wage is instituted, it will lead to an increase of unemployment all things being equal (if the market’s “minimum wage” is lower than that forced by the government).<br /><br />Just like instituting minimum prices will lead to deficit. (And black market — but I don’t know if this fact is not empirical. If we make an assumption that people will be willing to break the law to maximize their profit, black market becomes an a priori fact.)Anarchist Chossidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129716759837282565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-924316815185498346.post-70756216081068202732010-05-26T16:50:45.371-04:002010-05-26T16:50:45.371-04:00Let's stipulate that the "law" model...Let's stipulate that the "law" model is a false one when talking about real science -- Darwinian biology provided causal mechanisms to explain problem-raising patterns in our experience. It does not provide "laws" of the type imagined by 19th century philosophers of science.<br /><br />You wrote:<br /><br />"Is “all things being equal, instituting minimum-wage laws increases unemployment” an empirical statement that needs to be proven by observation, or is it a logical statement?"Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13532630855794099767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-924316815185498346.post-68226481029991634892010-05-26T16:48:59.879-04:002010-05-26T16:48:59.879-04:00Let's start with the question.
The question i...Let's start with the question.<br /><br />The question is empirical -- we see a pattern of order, and we ask what is the cause.<br /><br />The cause turns out to be empirical also -- learning in the context of changing local conditions and relative prices.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13532630855794099767noreply@blogger.com