Superfreakonomics
May 30, 2012 Leave a comment
Theory isn’t always fun. But when theory is applied, then we get tools to see and interpret a world that suddenly becomes so much more enlightening and that’s why theory is important, and different fields of study are valuable in their own right. I fail at economic theory, as much as I want to understand it – believe me I do! I believe that economics is the basis of society and that it shapes history and politics. So the revelation that this book and its predecessor (‘Freakonomics’) gives in explaining the applicability of economics to the daily questions of life in a simple, light, and easy manner (so that even someone like I could understand), made it a surprisingly pleasant read.
“The economic approach isn’t meant to describe the world as any one of us might want it to be, or fear that it is, or pray that it becomes – but rather to explain what it actually is. Most of us want to fix or change the world in some fashion. But to change the world, you first have to understand it.” – Superfreakonomics
It finally hit me why I love my major. It’s interesting and fun, but it’s also a tool for me to understand the world I want to change. That’s why I love International Relations.