The Consequences of Economic Rhetoric

This volume is the result of a conference held at Wellesley College, involving both theoretical and applied economists, that explored the consequences of the rhetoric and the conversation of the field of economics.

Arjo Klamer (Edited by), Donald N. McCloskey (Edited by), Robert M. Solow (Edited by)

9780521342865, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 January 1989

320 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.59 kg

"The Consequences of Economic Rhetoric is an important volume, marking the true beginning of what may well become a new conversation in economics. It is a valuable start but only a start; future conferences and future volumes will ultimately be required to tell the story of this conversation." D. Wade Hands, Journal of Economic Literature

The field of economics proves to be a matter of metaphor and storytelling - its mathematics is metaphoric and its policy-making is narrative. Economists have begun to realize this and to rethink how they speak. This volume is the result of a conference held at Wellesley College, involving both theoretical and applied economists, that explored the consequences of the rhetoric and the conversation of the field of economics.

Preface
Part I. Economic Rhetoric: Introduction and Comments: 1. Economics in the human conversation Arjo Klamer and Donald N. McCloskey
2. Comments from outside economics Stanley Fish
3. Comments from inside economics Robert M. Solow
4. Rhetoric and ideology Robert L. Heilbroner
Part II. Economic Rhetoric: Further Arguments: 5. Marxian theory and the rhetorics of economics Stephen Resnick and Richard Wolff
6. Economic rhetoric: the social and historical context A. W. Coats
7. The ideas of economists Robert W. Clower
8. Should a scientist abstain from metaphor? Christina Bicchieri
Part III. Economic Rhetoric Among Economists: 9. Shall I compare thee to a Minkowski-Ricardo-Leontief-Metzler matrix of the Mosak-Hicks type? Or, rhetoric, mathematics, and the nature of neoclassical economic theory Philip Mirowski
10. On the brittleness of the orange equilibrium E. Roy Weintraub
11. The significance of significance: rhetorical aspects of statistical hypothesis testing in economics Frank T. Denton
12. The rhetoric of self-interest: ideology of gender in economic theory Nancy Folbre and Heidi Hartmann
Part IV. Economic Rhetoric in Politics and Journalism: 13. The heterogeneity of the economists' discourse: philosopher, priest, and hired gun Craufurd D. Goodwin
14. The grammar of political economy James K. Galbraith
15. The rhetoric of economics as viewed by a student of politics Robert O. Keohane
16. 'Yellow rain' and 'supply-side economics': some rhetoric that failed David Warsh
Part V. Economic Rhetoric: Its Rhetoric and its Consequences: 17. Negotiating a new conversation about economics Arjo Klamer
18. The consequences of rhetoric Donald N. McCloskey
Appendix
Index.

Subject Areas: Economic theory & philosophy [KCA]