The Economy and Us.

Economies are not machines. They do not "overheat." They don't stall. They do not need their pumps primed. They do not need to be stimulated. They do not reach equilibrium.

In the same way that anthropomorphism undermines our understanding of natural processes, what has been called the "mechanomorphism" with which commentators left and right approach the economy undermines our understanding of what are ultimately human processes.

It's time to stop with the mechanical metaphors and remember that economies are extra-linguistic human communication processes. They are epistemic ecologies that are driven by human action though not human design.

Or as two smart, creative dudes said not so long ago:

"The economy's not a car, there's no engine to stall
No expert can fix it, there's no "it" at all
The economy's us, we don't need a mechanic
Put away the wrenches, the economy's organic."
-Jeffrey Tucker