Then it’s not a theory capable of explaining the event at all.
Are you really claiming that a theory that restricts the possible causes of an event to three has not explained the event “at all”?
Under this definition, I agree that undergraduate macroeconomics cannot explain the real world. But surely this is a rather restrictive standard for “explanation”?
I would rather say that a theory that allows us to concentrate a lot of probability mass on Y upon observing an element in X, or to concentrate a lot of probability mass on X after observing an element in Y, is doing quite a bit of explanatory work!
Are you really claiming that a theory that restricts the possible causes of an event to three has not explained the event “at all”?
This isn’t a case of 1 theory which predict the cause as being 3 different possible causes. We’re talking 3 entire competing paradigms, and then yeah, pretty much. “We think you’re sick either because people get cancer, or they have 4 bodily humors which get imbalanced, or it’s all due to malignant airs. We doctors haven’t figured out which is the right paradigm, but rest assured as you die: probably one of the 3 paradigms is right!” I sure as heck wouldn’t go around saying “medicine has it all figured out”.
So. As I said originally: macro cannot agree on an explanation for any of the events I listed, and my examples fit your demand for examples.
We think you’re sick either because people get cancer, or they have 4 bodily humors which get imbalanced, or it’s all due to malignant airs. We doctors haven’t figured out which is the right paradigm, but rest assured as you die: probably one of the 3 paradigms is right!
There isn’t this much disagreement over macro. Especially undergrad macro.
As I said originally: macro cannot agree on an explanation for any of the events I listed, and my examples fit your demand for examples.
And I explained how one could use the models taught in macro principles to think about each example.
There isn’t this much disagreement over macro. Especially undergrad macro.
The undergrad macro you’ve already described as so simplified that it doesn’t apply to real world situations and ignores the controversy between feuding schools which bars any kind of consensus.
And I explained how one could use the models taught in macro principles to think about each example.
“With this undergrad course in the 4 humors, I hope that you will be able to use the basic principles of melancholy vs choleric etc to interpret the illnesses and personalities you see around you...”
Whatever. I’m done. I provided the relevant examples, you acknowledge that there is indeed no consensus about them, and that’s all that was needed.
Should one skip right to graduate level macroeconomics, then? Or are there companion resources one might want to consume concurrently with learning undergraduate level macro? A previous poster recommended learning undergrad with a healthy dose of scepticism; if that scepticism were applied to half-truths taught in undergrad macro, would the supposed activity of ‘learning about economics’ become an exercise in comparing maps to their charted territory?
I am not sure that given the state of the art, macro is worth learning at all at any level for people who do not plan to go into academia specializing in macro.
Are you really claiming that a theory that restricts the possible causes of an event to three has not explained the event “at all”?
Under this definition, I agree that undergraduate macroeconomics cannot explain the real world. But surely this is a rather restrictive standard for “explanation”?
I would rather say that a theory that allows us to concentrate a lot of probability mass on Y upon observing an element in X, or to concentrate a lot of probability mass on X after observing an element in Y, is doing quite a bit of explanatory work!
This isn’t a case of 1 theory which predict the cause as being 3 different possible causes. We’re talking 3 entire competing paradigms, and then yeah, pretty much. “We think you’re sick either because people get cancer, or they have 4 bodily humors which get imbalanced, or it’s all due to malignant airs. We doctors haven’t figured out which is the right paradigm, but rest assured as you die: probably one of the 3 paradigms is right!” I sure as heck wouldn’t go around saying “medicine has it all figured out”.
So. As I said originally: macro cannot agree on an explanation for any of the events I listed, and my examples fit your demand for examples.
There isn’t this much disagreement over macro. Especially undergrad macro.
And I explained how one could use the models taught in macro principles to think about each example.
The undergrad macro you’ve already described as so simplified that it doesn’t apply to real world situations and ignores the controversy between feuding schools which bars any kind of consensus.
“With this undergrad course in the 4 humors, I hope that you will be able to use the basic principles of melancholy vs choleric etc to interpret the illnesses and personalities you see around you...”
Whatever. I’m done. I provided the relevant examples, you acknowledge that there is indeed no consensus about them, and that’s all that was needed.
Should one skip right to graduate level macroeconomics, then? Or are there companion resources one might want to consume concurrently with learning undergraduate level macro? A previous poster recommended learning undergrad with a healthy dose of scepticism; if that scepticism were applied to half-truths taught in undergrad macro, would the supposed activity of ‘learning about economics’ become an exercise in comparing maps to their charted territory?
I am not sure that given the state of the art, macro is worth learning at all at any level for people who do not plan to go into academia specializing in macro.