I went into the sciences very early on, but to me, economics pervades so much more of our lives and our existence.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Economics is a strange science. Our subject deals with some of the most important as well as mundane issues that impinge on the human condition.
That subject has lost its one time appeal to economists as our science has become more abstract, but my interest has even grown more intense as the questions raised by the sociology of science became more prominent.
People want to think of economics as a natural science, like physics, with the comforting reliability of simple-to-understand theories like F=MA. Unfortunately, it isn't. Economics is a social science, and the so-called theories are really social and moral constructs.
I think that it's more important for an economist to be wise and sophisticated in scientific method than it is for a physicist because with controlled laboratory experiments possible, they practically guide you; you couldn't go astray. Whereas in economics, by dogma and misunderstanding, you can go very sadly astray.
I got into economics because I wanted to make things better for the average person.
Economics evolved as a more moral and more egalitarian approach to policy than prevailed in its surrounding milieu. Let's cherish and extend that heritage. The real contributions of economics to human welfare might turn out to be very different from what most people - even most economists - expect.
Economics is mostly how humans rationalize who gets what and why. It's how we instantiate our preferences about status, privileges, and power.
Economics is everywhere, and understanding economics can help you make better decisions and lead a happier life.
I actually profoundly think the world's a better place when economics is fairly boring... The more boring the better.
Economics has never been a science - and it is even less now than a few years ago.