Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
 

Demeter

(85,373 posts)
14. Economists Prove That Capitalism Is Unnecessary
Fri Oct 30, 2015, 06:18 AM
Oct 2015
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevekeen/2015/10/25/economists-prove-that-capitalism-is-unnecessary/

Actually they’ve done no such thing. But they do effectively assume that it’s unnecessary all the time.

This transcendental truth became apparent to me in the reactions I have had from mainstream economists to a lecture I gave to my Kingston students this month (which is posted on my YouTube channel and blog). In it I explained that, at a very basic level, the original “Neoclassical” mathematical model of a market economy is mathematically unstable: it doesn’t converge to a stable pattern of relative prices and a stable growth path for the economy, as its developer Leon Walras thought it did.

Mainstream economists reacted to my lecture by saying that, while the argument, which was first made in the 1960s by Jorgenson (who was applying a mathematical theorem from the early 1900s) was mathematically correct, all one had to do was assume that “economic agents” would then notice the instability and change their behavior. The model would then converge to equilibrium—problem solved.

And how would “economic agents” notice this instability? They would realize that a pattern of relative prices that had occurred once before in the past happened again. Hmmm. O.K.A.Y…

MORE

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

In a winter garden Demeter Oct 2015 #1
sounds like spring coming, not winter DemReadingDU Oct 2015 #5
That's the plan! Demeter Oct 2015 #7
Thorough Savaging of the Managerial Class from Naked Capitalism Demeter Oct 2015 #2
Demeter, dare I compliment you, you are a gift to DU. mother earth Oct 2015 #24
Aw shucks, Demeter Oct 2015 #25
Record number of Americans renounce citizenship Demeter Oct 2015 #3
Budget provision lets US gov’t robocall debtors Demeter Oct 2015 #4
Malnutrition and 'Victorian' diseases soaring in England 'due to food poverty and cuts' Demeter Oct 2015 #6
The Republican Tax Plans Are All Basically Insane: They would cost trillions of dollars. Demeter Oct 2015 #8
HALLOWEEN SPECIAL REPORT: Hershey: U.S. Income Inequality Is Transforming The Chocolate Business Demeter Oct 2015 #9
I quit buying Hershey products when they moved Hotler Oct 2015 #17
I'm partial to Lindor truffles Demeter Oct 2015 #19
Hershey has declined DemReadingDU Oct 2015 #20
Paul Ryan Won the Right to Do Nothing By Jeffrey Toobin Demeter Oct 2015 #10
Dutch state to sell off ABN Amro in initial public offering (NATIONALIZED BANK) Demeter Oct 2015 #11
ILARGI: Europe’s On A Road To A Very Bleak Nowhere Demeter Oct 2015 #12
Winter Scramble; Refugees Will Freeze to Death :Juncker; Tony Blair Apologizes for Creation of ISIS Demeter Oct 2015 #13
VISUALIZATION OF EUROPEAN REFUGEE CRISIS DemReadingDU Oct 2015 #22
Economists Prove That Capitalism Is Unnecessary Demeter Oct 2015 #14
'Good' Jobs Aren't Coming Back ONSHORING DEBUNKED Demeter Oct 2015 #15
Federal Deficit by President Demeter Oct 2015 #16
American Exceptionalism: You can find it everywhere but in the country-comparison statistics Demeter Oct 2015 #18
Reality beckons (sword in hand) Demeter Oct 2015 #21
A prime Example of what I mean (not for me, thankfully) Demeter Oct 2015 #23
How the Koch brothers and the super-rich are buying their way out of criticism ROBERT REICH Demeter Nov 2015 #26
We are so screwed, n/t DemReadingDU Nov 2015 #27
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Economy»STOCK MARKET WATCH -- Fri...»Reply #14