The Use of Models
All of the topics covered in this book will be examined as part of the general focus on satisfying human wants and needs in light of limited environmental and natural resources. Because this subject is complex, it is better understood when broken into manageable portions. Once we master the components, dealt with in individual chapters, we will be able to reassemble them to form a more com plete picture. In economics, as in most other disciplines, we use models to investigate complex subjects such as relationships between the economy and the environment. Models are simplified characterizations of reality. For example, although a road map by design leaves out much detail, it is nonetheless a useful guide to reality. By showing how various locations relate to each other, a map gives an overall perspective. It cannot, however, capture all of the unique details that characterize any particular location. The map highlights only those characteristics that are crueial for the purpose at hand. The models in this text are similar. Through simplification, less detail is considered so that the main concepts and the relationships among them become clear. Fortunately, models allow us to study rigorously issues that are interrelated and global in scale. Unfortunately, due to their selectivity, models may yield con- clusions that are dead wrong. Details that are omitted may turn out, in retrospect, to be crucial in understanding a particular dimension. Therefore, models are useful abstractions, but the conclusions they yield depend on the structure o the model Change the model and you are likely to change the conclusions. As a result, models should always be viewed with some skepticism.
การใช้แบบจำลอง All of the topics covered in this book will be examined as part of the general focus on satisfying human wants and needs in light of limited environmental and natural resources. Because this subject is complex, it is better understood when broken into manageable portions. Once we master the components, dealt with in individual chapters, we will be able to reassemble them to form a more com plete picture. In economics, as in most other disciplines, we use models to investigate complex subjects such as relationships between the economy and the environment. Models are simplified characterizations of reality. For example, although a road map by design leaves out much detail, it is nonetheless a useful guide to reality. By showing how various locations relate to each other, a map gives an overall perspective. It cannot, however, capture all of the unique details that characterize any particular location. The map highlights only those characteristics that are crueial for the purpose at hand. The models in this text are similar. Through simplification, less detail is considered so that the main concepts and the relationships among them become clear. Fortunately, models allow us to study rigorously issues that are interrelated and global in scale. Unfortunately, due to their selectivity, models may yield con- clusions that are dead wrong. Details that are omitted may turn out, in retrospect, to be crucial in understanding a particular dimension. Therefore, models are useful abstractions, but the conclusions they yield depend on the structure o the model Change the model and you are likely to change the conclusions. As a result, models should always be viewed with some skepticism.
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