[p2p-research] Post-Autistic Economics

[Ryan Lanham]

Ferguson is a Tory, it's true.  But his work on money is not so colored and
is first rate in my view.  You are right that PAE often includes Marxism and
all heterodox (e.g. feminist) economics.  That's why I thought it would
appeal to some here.

For me, Marxism is simply factually incorrect in most of its basic
assumptions as I understand them, but if smart people push forward the
research, I am always open to reconsider what they've got.  I am rarely
"against" anything.  I just find it to either be use or not...hopelessly
pragmatist.  Markets I find to be terribly pragmatic.  I've seen them arise
in prisons, school yards, etc.  I have little to say on pre-modern or
non-modern civilizations, tribes, etc.  Those may work differently.  I tend
to think science is built as a social structure and economics is a social
science.  What works endures, what fails is generally laid to rest for most.

Polanyi's Great Transformation is one of the most important books in shaping
my views of the world--quite left.  So too Hayak--quite right...both books
written in 1944.  Polanyi is against communism and Nazis, but he is not so
much pro-libertarian in The Road to Serfdom.  It is a withering critique of
authoritarian tendencies in collective processes.

A friend sent the following lines to me this morning which captures my
politics well:


It is remarkable how most political positions eventually lead to their own
destruction. The left get into power, they can't control their authoritarian
streak, and tendency to over-regulate, interfere and micro-manage the
economy, become corrupted by their sense of entitlement, and eventually
people get angry and throw the bums out. Then the right get into power, they
can't control their greed, and tendency to deregulate even in core areas,
and are already corrupted by their sense of entitlement, and eventually
people get angry and throw the bums out.

Nationalism I regard as a pernicious evil, except in sports where it can be
safely channeled (usually) into a hard-fought but civilized game.


Wish I had written it myself.

 Ryan Lanham




On Fri, May 22, 2009 at 12:34 AM, Michel Bauwens
<michelsub2004 at gmail.com>wrote:


> Hi Ryan,
> I love Paecon, wrote for them, get the newsletter, and occasionally read
> essays.
>
> But as I understand it, it's a pluralistic initiative for all
> non-mainstream economic schools and therefore includes, but does not
> exclude, the marxist type analyses which regularly appear in the newsletter
> ... Same for the Heterodox Economists Association, also recommended,
>
> I read and loved polanyi, should one day read Sen certainly, and if I can
> overcome my bias, perhaps one day hayek
>
> Ferguson strikes me as a defender of imperial power, but of course, that
> does not make him uninteresting,
>
> Michel
>
>
>   On Fri, May 22, 2009 at 1:36 AM, Ryan Lanham <rlanham1963 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>>   I don't know if Michel or others have ever covered post-autistic
>> economics.  But for the left of center person seeking to find a real but
>> still rebellious economic set of arguments, I think this vein is much more
>> productive than one is likely to find in contemporary (or certainly
>> historical) Marxism.
>>
>> You can find a lifetime of free readings here: http://www.paecon.net/
>>
>> I have, as I have said, real sympathies for socialist schemes in some
>> societies--Nordic socialism strikes me as particularly effective.  It is, in
>> my opinion, an unrealistic option for many places, the US and Japan
>> included, but I have great sympathy for the outcomes.
>>
>> Post-autistic economics is realistic about the efficiencies and
>> necessities of markets, but also hammers hard in many cases at preventable
>> causes of poverty and gross social injustices.  I do not follow it as
>> closely as I once did, but much of the work is worldclass.
>>
>> People have written me asking what to read:  I'd say read post-autistic
>> economics.
>>
>> Some other books / intros that are worthwhile:
>>
>> Easterly, William. *The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid
>> the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good*. Penguin Press HC,
>> The, 2006
>> Ferguson, Niall, *The Ascent of Money*, 2008
>> Amartya Sen (1995). *Inequality Reexamined*. Harvard University Press.
>> Polanyi, Karl, *The Great Transformation*, 1944
>> Hayak, Friedrich, The Road to Serfdom, 1944
>>
>>  Ryan Lanham
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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