Economics is dominated by model building, therefore a comprehension of how such models work is vital to understanding the discipline. This book provides a critical analysis of the economist's favorite tool, and as such will be an enlightening read for some, and an intriguing one for others.

The rhetoric of economics has long claimed scientific objectivity, however the late, great economist Joan Robinson argued that 'the purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists.' This...

Introduction -- Models and structures -- The structuralist view of theories -- Idealization and concretization -- Measurement -- A general concept of an economy -- Preference and utility -- The logical structure of game theory -- Abstract labor and labor value -- Classical economics -- The...