Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Novels, Films, and Economic Models
Tyler Cowen, an economics professor at George Mason and co-author of a popular economics weblog (marginal revolution -- which I will likely link to frequently), has written a paper discussing what social scientists can learn from reading novels (and what humanities students might learn from reading models). Given that I have been assigning movies for 5 years, I clearly agree that fictional works can help highlight important aspects of human behavior. It is an interesting argument. Check it out if you wish.
If you enjoy combining literature and economics, you might also want to check out Michael Watts' The Literary Book of Economics. This book "uses seventy-eight selections from classic and contemporary fiction, drama, poetry, and prose to give flesh to more than twenty major economic concepts, issues, and themes."
If you enjoy combining literature and economics, you might also want to check out Michael Watts' The Literary Book of Economics. This book "uses seventy-eight selections from classic and contemporary fiction, drama, poetry, and prose to give flesh to more than twenty major economic concepts, issues, and themes."
// posted by BW @ 8:45 AM 
Comments:
<< Home
The paper was interesting (albeit too long). I basically got two take-away points.
The first was the simple point that novels justify behavioral economics, which – among other things – explores deviations in behavior from what economists have traditionally defined as rationality. A great example in my recent reading is the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, in which you see how parents can be inconsistent in their internalization of their children’s welfare. Of course, non-fictional narratives could offer this same benefit, although novels may get inside all the characters’ heads better than most non-fiction.
Second, novels allow us to simulate alternate realities that history does not. Dystopian literature gives extreme examples (as in 1984 or Brave New World), and books like those of Ayn Rand do the same thing except that the simulation looks more like our world: she alters fewer of the parameters.
The first was the simple point that novels justify behavioral economics, which – among other things – explores deviations in behavior from what economists have traditionally defined as rationality. A great example in my recent reading is the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, in which you see how parents can be inconsistent in their internalization of their children’s welfare. Of course, non-fictional narratives could offer this same benefit, although novels may get inside all the characters’ heads better than most non-fiction.
Second, novels allow us to simulate alternate realities that history does not. Dystopian literature gives extreme examples (as in 1984 or Brave New World), and books like those of Ayn Rand do the same thing except that the simulation looks more like our world: she alters fewer of the parameters.
DKE -- I don't understand this:
A great example in my recent reading is the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, in which you see how parents can be inconsistent in their internalization of their children’s welfare.
What does this mean?
Post a Comment
A great example in my recent reading is the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, in which you see how parents can be inconsistent in their internalization of their children’s welfare.
What does this mean?
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]