Welcome to the WEA Pedagogy Blog. Founded in May 2011. More than 12,000 members worldwide.
Rediscovering Justice in Economics
This post summarizes the first five chapters (through Chapter 5A) of Alasdair MacIntyre’s Whose Justice? Which Rationality? It is written for economists—especially heterodox economists—because MacIntyre exposes something deeper than “mainstream mistakes.” He shows why modernity has lost the ability to even hear what Plato and Aristotle were saying about justice: justice is not an individual… Read More Rediscovering Justice in Economics
2025: A Schumpeterian Year?
2025: A Schumpeterian Year? by Dr Carmelo Ferlito (CEO of the Center for Market Education and Faculty Member at Universitas Prasetiya Mulya) In the light of recent major developments, it is entirely reasonable to suggest that 2025 may rightly be called “Schumpeter’s Year”. Two marquee events—in vastly different spheres—signal the resurgence of the core themes… Read More 2025: A Schumpeterian Year?
How Descartes Made Reason Sacred
In 1633, Descartes faced an existential crisis—not personal, but intellectual. For years, he had been working on an ambitious manuscript titled Le Monde, a comprehensive natural philosophy that sought to explain the workings of the cosmos on mechanistic principles, extending and refining the work of Galileo. But when Galileo was condemned by the Church in… Read More How Descartes Made Reason Sacred
Credit, Capital, and the Engine of War: Money Transformed in Early Modern Britain
A Guided Reading of Glyn Davies’ A History of Money, Part 3; Previous posts: Money, Power, and Empire: Davies’ Part 2 and Origins of Money, Power, and War: A Guided Reading of Glyn Davies’ History of Money Ch1 For millennia, money was anchored in the tangible: silver, gold, cattle, grain. It served religious rituals, enabled imperial taxation,… Read More Credit, Capital, and the Engine of War: Money Transformed in Early Modern Britain
Money, Power, and Empire: Davies’ Part 2
Modern economics defines money as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value — a tidy, technical summary found in textbooks and classrooms. But this abstraction conceals what may be the most important and dangerous quality of money: its relationship to power, war, and political authority. Money has never been… Read More Money, Power, and Empire: Davies’ Part 2
Origins of Money, Power, and War: A Guided Reading of Glyn Davies’ History of Money Ch1
In modern discourse, money is often treated as a neutral tool — a mere medium of exchange, a unit of account, or a store of value. Economics textbooks abstract it into functions and equations, dissociating it from the social, political, and historical realities that produced it. But this view conceals something crucial: money is a… Read More Origins of Money, Power, and War: A Guided Reading of Glyn Davies’ History of Money Ch1
How Capitalism Shapes Our World—And How We Can Reshape It
Prologue: The North StarIs it truly necessary for billions to live in poverty while a few enjoy unimaginable wealth? Could the world be different—and could we help make it so? Utopians dream of a better world but lack a route map. Pragmatists move with precision but forget to ask where they’re headed. The North Star… Read More How Capitalism Shapes Our World—And How We Can Reshape It
How Monetary Myths Conceal Power
Modern economics rests on a dangerous illusion: that abstract, universal laws—derived primarily from the European experience—can be applied across all societies, times, and contexts. This false assumption has allowed economists to present their theories as objective and value-neutral, masking the deeply political and historical foundations of economic life. In an earlier post Reclaiming Lost Narratives:… Read More How Monetary Myths Conceal Power
How Secularism Served Empire: A Summary of Corbeil’s Empire and Progress
In a previous post, Seeing Through Empire: The Lies That Blind Us, I argued that many of our most cherished modern ideals—progress, reason, development—have been shaped by the moral grammar of empire. This post continues that exploration by turning to the origins of secularism. Rather than asking whether secularism is “true” or “false,” we can… Read More How Secularism Served Empire: A Summary of Corbeil’s Empire and Progress
Economics After Empire: Rebuilding the Discipline on Moral Foundations
Section 1: Introduction — Questioning the Grand Narrative According to the standard narrative, Europe’s rise was driven by superior institutions, rational governance, and scientific advancement. Wealth, power, and modernity are seen as the natural outcomes of internal European virtues—innovation, efficiency, and discipline. Implicitly or explicitly, social sciences – economics included – are built on these… Read More Economics After Empire: Rebuilding the Discipline on Moral Foundations
WEA Pedagogy Blog 