Philosophy - Economics Students Society of Australia

Philosophy

A collection of 3 posts

Why we ought to rethink debt

Why we ought to rethink debt

“It is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism” This iconic quote, attributed to philosophers Fredric Jameson and Slavoj Zizek, embodies the essence of the concept “capitalist hegemony”. In this world, one’s common sense is moulded by the prevailing powers within society. This

Effective Altruism: Economic Design For Drowning Children

Effective Altruism: Economic Design For Drowning Children

In his 2009 book, The Life You Can Save, Nobel Laureate moral philosopher (and current professor at the University of Melbourne) Peter Singer, put forward the following thought experiment: “On your way to work, you pass a small pond. On hot days, children sometimes play in the pond, which is

Economics and 'Plumbing'? Getting back to the basics

Economics and 'Plumbing'? Getting back to the basics

Economists as ‘Plumbers’? In the first few pages of Poor Economics, the authors Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo argue that the state of modern economics is problematic. Too much focus has been drawn on tackling big, abstract philosophical topics and economists should go back to focusing on the data and