tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35248477.post4930793994193887054..comments2024-03-27T14:20:05.905-04:00Comments on Montclair SocioBlog: Dissed AgainJay Livingstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06652075579940313964noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35248477.post-90889083591346405702015-01-19T11:26:12.386-05:002015-01-19T11:26:12.386-05:00Well, he his accusing him of doing bad sociology.Well, he his accusing him of doing <b>bad</b> sociology.Alfredhttp://thedominantstrategy.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35248477.post-64170997330496399882015-01-19T10:17:42.263-05:002015-01-19T10:17:42.263-05:00Thanks for the reference. I’m still not sure what...Thanks for the reference. I’m still not sure what Noah’s opinion of sociology is. He’s holding Sumner up to ridicule because of Sumner’s cultural views – i.e., that the lion-dog shows that China has imagination and will therefore continue its economic growth. So Noah seems to be saying that this ridiculous cultural-based prediction is “a blaze of amateur sociology.” He’s insulting a fellow economist by accusing him of committing sociology. Or did I misunderstand?Jay Livingstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06652075579940313964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35248477.post-35109379863350036372015-01-19T09:19:30.430-05:002015-01-19T09:19:30.430-05:00"A blaze of amateur sociology" is a quot..."A blaze of amateur sociology" is a quote from Robert Solow about endogenous growth theory. He was saying that all the economic research on what cause the productivity to increase did little to improve our understanding of long-term growth, and that discussions on why some countries are richer than other always end up in "a blaze of amateur sociology".<br /><br />Noah Smith is simply saying that what Scott Sumner said is the kind of things Robert Solow was criticizing: is isn't insulting sociologists, he is simply expressing some healthy skepticism about the cultural explanations of long-term growth (and insulting his fellow economists).Alfredhttp://thedominantstrategy.comnoreply@blogger.com