num_pages: 253
description: The Greek myth of Narcissus, like any other moral tale, warns its readers against the dangers of self absorption. In their new edited volume, Craig Freedman and Rick Szostak gather together a collection of fables and tales to warn the economics profession against parallel pitfalls in their own activities. Academics in this field have all too often been seduced by the dazzling reflection produced by their own theoretical constructs. This collection is meant to serve as required bedside reading for all economists, a serious if light-hearted look at the foibles currently plaguing the profession. Rather than committing the venial sin of didactic lecturing, the editors let economists speak for themselves in a series of reprinted articles. Intentionally or not, these articles illustrate the intractable blemishes currently disfiguring the face of economics. The reprints are by such noted economists as Blinder, Bronfenbrenner, Fair, Katzner, Leamer, Leijonhufvud, and others. This thought-provoking range of ideas is further supplemented by the editors who tease out the underlying issues by means of their own original contributions. As the editors note in concluding their We need to wean economics away from its narcissism, its tendency to exclude all those that don't share its own passions for formalism. Making the virtues out of our own shortcomings won't do the trick. Economics as a profession best serves itself and its community by becoming an inclusive science that stresses an ability to communicate rather than placing the onus for understanding on those outside our professional gates.
language: English
title: Tales of Narcissus: The Looking Glass of Economic Science
titlecomplete: Tales of Narcissus: The Looking Glass of Economic Science
publisher: Nova Science Pub Inc