Is Economics a Science or a Religion?
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July 18 (Bloomberg) -- Is economics a science or areligion? Its practitioners like to think of it as akin to theformer. The blind faith with which many do so suggests it hasbecome too much like the latter, with potentially direconsequences for the real people the discipline is intended tohelp.
The idea of economics as religion harks back to at least2001, when economist Robert Nelson published a book on thesubject. Nelson argued that the policy advice economists drawfrom their theories is never “value-neutral” but foists theirvalues, dressed up to look like objective science, on the restof us.