Logic Counts Most. From Gordon Tullock I learned the value of equations. I have a bit of difficulty persuading my legal colleagues that equations are not just restating what we already know. I remember a Tullock quote from a 1988 article where he writes, “I recommend my book, A Mathematics of Politics, over Tony Down’s book [An Economic Theory of Democracy] because I use high school algebra and he uses calculus. But I remember that algebra forces one to consider dimensions of a problem one might otherwise overlook. (Mentioning the self-promoting quote above reminds me of another lesson, which I cannot say I have taken to heart—“any publicity is good publicity.” And then there was “Machine guns would be a cheaper way of keeping the poor in line than welfare.” Or was it the other way around?)
David J. Barnes, "Enduring Lessons from Gordon Tullock"
No comments:
Post a Comment