[lbo-talk] Basic economics book

[T Fast]

If you are trying to find a good introduction to economics that is non 
ideological...good luck.  I do not say this to be discouraging.  Economics 
is the most ideological of the social sciences and it is impossibly 
ideological.  The best you can do is read around.  My entry point to 
economics was through the history of economic thought.  Basically the idea 
is to understand the origin of the main concepts used in the standard 
"neoclassical" introductory economics texts.  I would suggest the following 
reading program:

E.K. Hunts "The History of Economic Thought" paired with Lionel Robins "A 
History of Economic Thought."

These two texts can be read alongside any micro-macroeconomic (neoclassical) 
introductory text of your choosing.  This will give an overview of the 
development of econonomic thought up through the marginality revolution to 
the solidification of the neoclassical program.

Steve Keen provides a somewhat tortured but nonetheless useful technical 
critique of the main neoclassical concepts in "Debunking Economics: The 
Naked Emperor of the Social Sciences.

That is where I would start and depending how careful you read the texts you 
will be well armed for a conversation with 85% of economists.

As for useful texts on how capitalism actually works...that is a different 
matter.

Hope this helps

Travis


> Hello,
> I've been reading this wonderful list for some time and thought this
> wouldn't be out of place.
> I've started reading Michael Hudson's Super Imperialism, and even though
> it is very clearly written, I sometimes feel I lack necessary basic
> economics notions to fully understand some mechanisms.
> I haven't even looked yet but I assume there are loads of "introduction to
> economics" books, some of which ideologicaly biased, so I was hoping 
> people
> on the list could recommend a good one.
>
> Yann
>
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