Lazy thinking

At first I just wanted a space to talk about what I’d done that week then I thought about it a little bit more.

“Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking” Einstein

Now, according to Freedman who explores Chicago Fundamentalism “Economists can’t read”. Does that mean “economists” or “economic policy thinkers” can escape these lazy habits of thinking? Not so quick.

We now have a double problem. “Economists cannot write because economists have never learned how to read”, and they still may be doomed to lazy habits. (1)

Freedman highlights a fundamental problem that economists, and academics, do not usually read what’s on their page. They become trapped in a world of simple literacy where picking up a book means just reading words and finding arguments means hand picking those that support your own. Consequently, opponents arguments are banished to the arena of illogic and the thought process becomes lazy.

Perpetuated by the rigid editorial work of renowned journals, and what seems to be the style that journal consumers demand, economists have developed a “lame rhetoric”.

A remedy for lazy habits and lame rhetoric is not hidden in the Amazonian rainforest. It comes from intellectual practice based on intellectual liberty. A potion of reading, really, writing, unabashedly, and thinking openly could be the remedy of these problems.

Consequently, this space is to try and overcome this. Not only that though, I’d like this space to be an open arena for thought. A place to:

• Discuss theories, concepts?
• Somewhere just to publish what you think
• Write down anything you want to clarify yourself.
• Anonymous or named, as you like?

Although I battle with the problem that so much of what is being written is hot air, after much consideration I started to realise we needed this hot air. First of all, from a selfish perspective, if you really want to internalise something you have to externalise it first. Secondly, real discussion, real thought only comes from continual debate. This is a humble place for all that.

(1) Freedman, Craig F. “Chicago Fundamentalism", Ideology and Methodology in Economics” World Scientific Publishing. Co. 2008. p. 285.