Nicola suggests seeking another catchphrase similar to "mathematics is
language".  One coming to mind is "Corporations are people, my friend".
However, if "the Samuelsonian disease" is more insidious than Romney's it is
because there is enough truth in it to make it more plausible and seductive.

A good book on the mindset is Rene' DuBos, The Dreams of Reason.  As I
recall his target was DesCartes, which has not cured economists of overusing
Cartesian Coordinates.

Mason Gaffney

-----Original Message-----
From: Societies for the History of Economics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Nicola Giocoli
Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2014 1:13 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [SHOE] Mark Blaug and belief in models

Should we then start calling it "the Samuelsonian disease" (from Paul
Samuelson's famous "mathematics is language" dictum)? 

I know the use of models is not the same thing as the use of math (just read
von Neumann's "The mathematician"), but a good catchphrase may help. Other
suggestions?

Nicola Giocoli
Sent from my BlackBerryR wireless device from WIND