Our economy is vast , incomprehensible and potentially deadly if you take a incorrect tone — just like space , in fact . So when it comes to understanding the fundamental of economics , you call for to read some definitive and late science fabrication novel . as luck would have it , Paul Krugman and Noah Smith have provided a reading list .
Smith get the meme off withhis own web log stake about SF for economists :
Really , most science fiction is about economics . What makes most next visions interesting is not just the technical particulars of the cool new Stuff , but the social forking . Here are some of the sci - fi books that I thought dealt with important economic issues in the most insightful and interesting way . I also take only Quran that I think are well - drop a line , with well - conceived characters , engaging patch , and good writing .
Smith ’s selections also happen to be all splendid books , with a laboured emphasis onVernor Vinge , Charles Stross , Cory Doctorow , Ursula K. Le GuinandNeal Stephenson .
Paul Krugmanfollowed up with his own hypnotism , not amazingly including his favorite books , Asimov’sFoundationseries . But he also put in a passionate plug for “ any Iain Banks Culture novel;Use of Weaponswas my gateway , but Consider Phlebas , or in reality any of them , will do . depository financial institution is terminally inauspicious , so his employment should be specially cherish now . ”
And then over at Forbes , Tim Worstallcame out with some fantasy suggestions , most notably Terry Pratchett :
Although Terry Pratchett has rather left “ genre ” behind and is simply writing extraordinarily good novels that just happen to take place in a phantasy universe . Making Moneyis one of the in force falsifying of goldbuggery that you ’ll incur . And hugely amusing to boot . It even has a hydraulic model of the economic system along Keynesian lines which is base upon theMoniac . Although with the interesting distinction that the fancied one really works both fashion , influence world as well as trace it .
So which science fable ( or fantasy ) novels would you advocate to someone who wanted to learn more about economics , or the way that economies function ? I have n’t read all of them , but I ’m still go to put in a plug for Kage Baker ’s novels about The ship’s company .
BooksCharles StrossCory DoctorowFoundation
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