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To: A. Pole
Adam Smith's "invisible hand" -- which makes a free-enterprise, market system work so well -- is based on the assumption of "economic man". You don't need everyone to be rational to be able to make useful predictions. For instance, "rational man" will buy more of something he wants if it's cheaper -- therefore, I predict a store will sell more when it's having a clearance sale.

Market economists leave the decision of "best interest" to the individual. Communists believe the government should determine what's in everyone's best interest.

Figure out decision making, and you'll either get a PhD, or become a CEO.

Humans are far less predictable than building materials -- but it doesn't mean that it's not worthwhile studying how they act in the marketplace. If you're right -- you can make a ton of money. If you're wrong -- you can try to fix your theory.
35 posted on 01/30/2006 1:18:26 PM PST by USFRIENDINVICTORIA (")
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To: USFRIENDINVICTORIA
If you're right -- you can make a ton of money.

So what does it mean that the economical experts are not the richest men on the earth? Does it mean that they are wrong? Or maybe they are not "rational"?

36 posted on 01/30/2006 1:22:18 PM PST by A. Pole (Dr. Michael Savage is in and the diagnosis is clear: "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder")
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