DennyNov 24, 2022
Economics: Humans only value things monetarily.
Sociology: Uh, I don't ...
Economics: Humans are always rational and value is calculated by a complex inner calculus.
Sociology: Uh, Psy, can you help?
Psychology: That's not how humans ...
Economics: ALSO MY SYSTEM WILL GROW EXPONENTIALLY FOREVER!!
Physics: *drops teacup*
Show threadJonxe Hart (they/them)Nov 25, 2022

@denny

Everyone: Hey Economics, your assumptions are not just objectively wrong, they are absurd.

Economics: *holding their fingers in their ears* "NA NANANANANNA I DON'T HEAR YOU!!! Free hands! Adam Smith! YOU CANNOT CHANGE OUR MINDS!!! We are a real science!"

Everyone else: *Picard face palm*

Show thread%70%61%75%6CNov 25, 2022
@JonxeHart @denny I find it fascinating how for so many people economics means neoliberal economics. I suppose especially in US universities and probably australian ones, there's not a lot of space for anything else.
Show threadNgati Pakeha KuiaNov 25, 2022
@denny @muaddib1971 @JonxeHart Auckland Uni school of Business too. Subverted one of my kids.
Show thread%70%61%75%6C
@CarolynStirling @denny @JonxeHart unis all over the place are deskilling students so more students will stay enrolled (I teach computer science and IT and the quality has nosedived over the past decade) but the economics stuff is more ideological, I think. marxist economists in particular can have trouble getting employment at universities. No matter your ideological view, a lack of diversity means we can't understand the challenges we face as there's no debate
Nov 25, 2022 at 7:53amWeb
Show threadParty SamNov 25, 2022

@muaddib1971

I have also noticed the nosedive in quality over past 10 years. Can you please provide examples of deskilling? It's the first time I'm hearing this term in this context, explains a lot actually.

Show thread%70%61%75%6CNov 25, 2022
@partysam ok, there's been a shift in my area away from teaching and assessing deeper topics in a degree. just a few examples I've observed - turning individual assessments into group assessments, switching to 'easier' programming languages, removing theory from courses, making assessments more of completion exercises. In my own field I could write a thesis about this.
Show threadSpeakerToManagersNov 25, 2022
@JonxeHart @CarolynStirling @denny @muaddib1971
Yes. My Marxist economist friend finally retired a couple of years ago after fighting the good fight all his career. He was consistently pushed back and sidelined by more orthodox administrations.
Show threadMark ArmstrongJun 28, 2023
@JonxeHart @muaddib1971 @denny @CarolynStirling it took me far too long to parse deskilling as de-skilling and not desk killing, which I assumed was some unethical way to increase student numbers.