Re: The Economic Crisis and its Implications for The Science of Economics

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Andrew Russell <arussell () jhu edu>
Date: April 26, 2009 7:43:11 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: drallison () gmail com
Subject: Re: [IP] The Economic Crisis and its Implications for The  
Science of Economics

I appreciate that Eric Weinstein and his team want to move quickly,  
but I hope that the Stanford group can help him and his group find  
better historical inspiration than the Manhattan Project.  He and his  
team surely are aware that the Manhattan Project was a stunning  
victory for collaborative project management and, at the same time, a  
stunning setback for humanity.

I assume that his group isn't looking to build new models that will  
culminate in two horrific explosions, the deaths of hundreds of  
thousands of people, and a legacy that includes global paranoia and  
mistrust.

Surely the Apollo program would be a more positive metaphor and  
model?  Or they could draw inspiration from Herbert Hoover's success  
in organizing relief for Belgians during World War I?  As Prof. Farber  
suggests, more ethical self-reflection and less hubris from 'financial  
scientists' will serve us all much better than another Manhattan  
Project.


Andy Russell
College of Arts & Letters
Stevens Institute of Technology
http://www.stevens.edu/cal


On Apr 25, 2009, at 6:58 PM, David Farber wrote:

> Prior to any Economic Manhattan project maybe a study of Ethical  
> behavior in the financial area would be more profitable djf
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Dennis Allison <drallison () gmail com>
> Date: April 25, 2009 3:22:35 PM EDT
> To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
> Cc: allison () stanford edu
> Subject: The Economic Crisis and its Implications for The Science of  
> Economics
>
> For IP if you think it worthy:
>
> Dave,
>
> I'd like to call the attention of IP readers to an interdisciplinary  
> conference on The Economic Crisis and its Implications for The  
> Science of Economics being held in Toronto May 1-4 at the Perimeter  
> Institute and to a talk being given in the EE Computer Systems  
> Colloquium at Stanford this Wednesday, April 29th.  Both are related  
> to the current financial crisis and what we might do, as scientists  
> and engineers, to help resolve the situation.
>
> CONFERENCE:
>
> For more information on the conference.
>
> http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/en/Events/The_Economic_Crisis_and_Implications_for_Science/The_Economic_Crisis_and_its_Implications_for_The_Science_of_Economics/
>
> Registration is required (seating is limited) but there is no charge  
> for the event.
>
> From the Conference Abstract:
>
> Concerns over the current financial situation are giving rise to a  
> need to evaluate the very mathematics that underpins economics as a  
> predictive and descriptive science. A growing desire to examine  
> economics through the lens of diverse scientific methodologies -  
> including physics and complex systems - is making way to a meeting  
> of leading economists and theorists of finance together with  
> physicists, mathematicians, biologists and computer scientists in an  
> effort to evaluate current theories of markets and identify key  
> issues that can motivate new directions for research. Perimeter  
> Institute was suggested to be the gathering point and conference  
> organizers plan to foster a very careful, dispassionate discussion,  
> in an atmosphere governed by the modesty and open mindedness that  
> characterizes the scientific community.
>
> COLLOQUIUM:
>
> One of the conference organizers, Eric Weinstein, will be speaking  
> in the Stanford EE Computer Systems Colloquium (http://ee380.stanford.edu 
> ) Wednesday 4:15-5:30PM Pacific.  He will argue for the need to have  
> a broadly based, interdisciplinary "Economic Manhattan Project", a  
> global effort to develop sophisticated quantitative models and tools  
> that could be used to guide us out of the financial/economic current  
> crisis.
>
> Eric's lecture will be given before a live audience in the Gates  
> Computer Science Building (room B1) on the Stanford Campus; this is  
> a public lecture and anyone is welcome to attend.  The lecture will  
> be available over the Internet by webcast in real time (questions  
> via Twitter) and will be available for on-demand viewing from the  
> Colloquium website about an hour or two following completion of the  
> talk.  In time, Colloquium lectures are available on YouTube and  
> iTunes and other distribution channels.  See the website for details.
>
> Dennis Allison
> Computer Systems Laboratory
> Stanford University
>
>
>
> Archives





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