================= HES POSTING ====================== Formalism came in a simpler time when economists believed that clear thinking would suffice to find commonly accepted truths. Formalism brought its own intellectual demise [though it still is dominant in the university world] since clever economists could always twist an assumption or two to avoid the conclusion of any formal model. I know that mathematics became enfatuated with formalism slightly before economists did. Was the mathematics debate similar to our own? How do they now regard pure formalism? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [log in to unmask] ============ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ============ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]