I feel like I want a non-capitalist economist mentor. None of the jobs on the trajectory I seem to be currently on will be happy anything less than pretty intense commitment to capitalism. I wonder if applying for a job with the Reserve Bank would be like someone applying for a job at the CIA thinking that maybe the US should give Texas back to Mexico.
It really worried me when Ben Thurley said something about national economic coordination that I think I disagreed with. If I think TEAR is too economically fundamentalist, then where the hell am I going to go?
What’s your personal mission, learning economics?
Willem / 7:49pm / 21 August 2006
No. Just to be useful.
Ryan / 11:12pm / 21 August 2006
I meant, your personal mission in learning economics. :)
To create a monetary science that will allow for better distribution of wealth?
Willem / 6:43pm / 22 August 2006
And just remember, whatever I said, you know more about economics than me…
ben / 10:34pm / 22 August 2006
Oh right. I don’t think I have one mission. Even in learning economics I just want to be useful. I’d like to reform superannuation, taxation and welfare in Australia. I’d like to help build international labour unions and tax systems. I’d like to help developing countries make decisions independent of the rest of the world.
A lot of me would like to overthrow the capitalist system, but since the system I’d recommend replacing it with would have a lot in common, maybe it’s more sensible just to try and change it. It might be less bloody that way as well.
Ryan / 10:46am / 23 August 2006
Ben, I’m not sure that “knowing more about economics” is a good thing, even if you’re right.
I had an intense argument with my mum the other day. I realised the only reason I was arguing was because I had an image of a supply and demand curve in my head that was telling me I was right. Which, of course, I was.
Ryan / 10:50am / 23 August 2006