From: Rakesh Bhandari (bhandari@BERKELEY.EDU)
Date: Thu Feb 03 2005 - 14:38:22 EST
At 2:19 PM -0500 2/3/05, Gerald_A_Levy@MSN.COM wrote: > > I think the point of the cowritten piece by Michele Naples was that >> an introductory economics textbook which has scientific pretension >> should be very clear on the nature and source of profit in a profit >> oriented system. A textbook should be judged by the clarity of the >> answer that it provides and the superiority of that answer over >> alternative explanations. The Marxian texts that you mentioned are >> thus not the best introductions to Marx's Capital as a work in the >> history of economic thought; they are simply the best introductions >> to economics. > >Rakesh: > >The article by Naples and Nahid Aslanbeigui was very explicitly directed >towards the *neoclassical* answers presented by introductory textbooks, >not Marxian or heterodox economics texts. So what? Neo classical or not, a textbook should have a clear profit theory, positively elaborated and critical of alternatives. Does Naples disagree with that? I would not think so. > >Michele used to assign Swartz and Bonello _Clashing Views on >Controversial Economics Issues_ (McGraw-Hill) for her intro. classes >in economics. I don't know if she still does. I don't have experience >using this book -- have others on the list? -- but I don't generally find >"controversial issues" books to be very well organized as texts and >they generally leave out too much "basic theory" material that I believe >should be covered in an introductory course. What should be presented is a clear and true theory of the nature and source of profit. Do you disagree? By the way, Jerry, I was wondering whether you were making any progress in stepping down from the admissions committee to OPE-L. You have exercised defacto veto power over for ten years. That seems a bit crazy. Admissions should be turned over to existing advisory committee. Thanks. Rakesh > >If you are interested in some of her thoughts on teaching introductory >economics see: >http://econwpa.wustl.edu/~tchecndg/archive/1995/0893.html >http://www.listproc.bucknell.edu/archives/femecon-l/199904/msg00055.html > >In solidarity, Jerry > >PS re Alejandro's suggestion for a webpage: >Well, who on the list knows how to put together web pages? If they had >the time, this might be a good project for ... Allin? ... and/or Paul C? ... >and/or Hans? ... and/or Ian W? ... and/or ...???
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