<p>A physicist a chemist and an economist are stranded in a deserted island after a wreckage. They have managed to salvage a case of canned food, but they have nothing to open the cans, and the island is a true paradise -meaning, all sand and beaches and soft bushes -but no stones, nothing hard.<br>
The physicist and the chemist try to put their scientific knowledge to work by conjuring forces of nature, gravity, pressure, materials science, inorganic chemistry etc, but they can't make them to work in their favor, they lack the necessary infrastructure to do it. </p>

<p>Meanhwile, the economist is laying on the side, enjoying the sun and smiling, a bit cockily.</p>

<p>-Why do you smile? - Ask the scientists, angry and frustrated</p>

<p>-Because I have the solution - replies the economist</p>

<p>-Which is? - challenge the scientists</p>

<p>The economist looks up, with a trace of pity in his eyes, gets up and says very confidently:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>"Assume that we have a can opener".</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p><em>Comment: Assuming what one wants to prove is an ever-present trap in Economics especially after its mathematization, something that Paul Samuelson was wise enough to warn us about even as he pushed this very mathematization forward.</em></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T09:46:55.967Z
2016-03-22T09:46:55.967Z
Alecos Papadopoulos
<p>Not to suggest that this should become a list of the best econ related <a href="https://xkcd.com/552/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://xkcd.com/552/</a> and <a href="http://phdcomics.com/comics.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://phdcomics.com/comics.php</a> but I always really liked that one:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/r5TNb.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/r5TNb.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T03:41:52.317Z
always a topical post in the sciences
Kitsune Cavalry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T03:31:17.177Z
2016-03-22T03:31:17.177Z
Martin Van der Linden
<p>An economics professor and her student are walking on the street. The student points to the ground before them. <br>
"Professor look! A twenty dollar bill!" <br>
The professor waves dismissingly. <br>
"Do not bother picking it up. If it were a real twenty dollar bill someone would already have picked it up."</p>

<p>I also like these two SMBC comics featuring Superman, but the images are big so I will only link to them. <br>
<a href="http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2012" rel="nofollow">It's more complex than you realize.</a> <br>
<a href="http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2305" rel="nofollow">Finally, we found maximum efficiency.</a> <br></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T07:43:46.367Z
SMBC can be pretty hit or miss, (especially in its somewhat cursory treatment of views of economists) but I do like that second Superman one.
Kitsune Cavalry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T07:27:23.910Z
2016-03-22T07:27:23.910Z
Giskard
<p>We've delved into questions about the history of economics. We've pondered what the most important equations in economics are. But in every science, academic culture inevitably forms a special set of ideas that further our understanding of the most fundamental ideas we use in our work: jokes.</p>

<p>Jokes are only funny if they set you up to have a false assumption about the material at hand, and then subvert it. In this way, jokes can be used to reveal underlying assumptions we economists might take about the world that are very well absurd, but important nonetheless to moving towards more sophisticated models. Even within mainstream economic schools, ideas like using cardinal vs. ordinal utility, or utilitarianism itself can be contentious. John Rawls's veil of ignorance or Nozick's more libertarian epistemology? Are sticky wages <em>really</em> realistic?</p>

<p>What are some jokes you have encountered that would be useful for addressing an underlying assumption of an economic theory, or economics itself?</p>

<p>(Any further recommendations for improving this question are appreciated. It can even be a community question if that would be best.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T09:00:44.147Z
This question is mentioned on meta: http://meta.economics.stackexchange.com/questions/1554/joke-list-question-got-to-hot-network-questions-but-looks-like-it-should-be-clos
Pimgd
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T09:46:50.747Z
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not about economic theory and applications. It degrades the site, and becomes a broken window that attracts other and worse damage. The very creation of a "fun" tag - like the creation of this question - becomes a magnet for all sorts of junk
410 gone
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T09:55:30.807Z
@EnergyNumbers I agree that the fun tag is not fortunate but I see no harm in the question itself.
Giskard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T09:58:17.103Z
Maybe one way to make this question less contentious (as suggested by Alecos in the above-linked meta discussion) would be to ask people to write a pedagogical justification for their answer: How can the jokes people post help to make important ideas in economics more intuitive and entertaining?
Ubiquitous
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T10:36:22.287Z
I'm voting to put this question on hold because its on/off-topic status is currently the subject of a meta debate at http://meta.economics.stackexchange.com/questions/1554/joke-list-question-got-to-hot-network-questions-but-looks-like-it-should-be-clos/. The off-topic arguments are somewhat compelling. Part of the purpose of the beta is to determine the scope of the site, so let's have the meta discussion and decide whether to reopen the question or not.
Ubiquitous
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T14:22:58.350Z
First you are encouraging homework question and now this. Kitsune you are an agent of chaos, the resistance to the site's establishment :)
Giskard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T15:22:48.147Z
⚑ The revolution will not be televized ⚑ (I'll edit the question later to make it better fineeeee.)
Kitsune Cavalry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-22T16:20:27.243Z
Well, this site is full of it: http://standupeconomist.com/
Herr K.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-23T22:15:02.403Z
I've redone the question and submitted my vote to reopen. Suggestions welcome. Until then... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsEwK69LXjQ
Kitsune Cavalry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-23T22:17:20.087Z
Also I'm only getting rid of the fun tag because economics is ALWAYS fun so I guess it's a bit redundant...
Kitsune Cavalry
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-24T04:33:22.783Z
I found the former title more catchy...
HRSE
<theory>
Jokes in Economics; Challenging Assumptions in the Dismal Science
Kitsune Cavalry
# Jokes in Economics; Challenging Assumptions in the Dismal Science

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-03-22)

We've delved into questions about the history of economics. We've pondered what the most important equations in economics are. But in every science, academic culture inevitably forms a special set of ideas that further our understanding of the most fundamental ideas we use in our work: jokes.

Jokes are only funny if they set you up to have a false assumption about the material at hand, and then subvert it. In this way, jokes can be used to reveal underlying assumptions we economists might take about the world that are very well absurd, but important nonetheless to moving towards more sophisticated models. Even within mainstream economic schools, ideas like using cardinal vs. ordinal utility, or utilitarianism itself can be contentious. John Rawls's veil of ignorance or Nozick's more libertarian epistemology? Are sticky wages *really* realistic?

What are some jokes you have encountered that would be useful for addressing an underlying assumption of an economic theory, or economics itself?

(Any further recommendations for improving this question are appreciated. It can even be a community question if that would be best.)

**Tags:** theory

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This question is mentioned on meta: http://meta.economics.stackexchange.com/questions/1554/joke-list-question-got-to-hot-network-questions-but-looks-like-it-should-be-clos  
> **username_2**: I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is not about economic theory and applications. It degrades the site, and becomes a broken window that attracts other and worse damage. The very creation of a "fun" tag - like the creation of this question - becomes a magnet for all sorts of junk  
> **username_3**: @EnergyNumbers I agree that the fun tag is not fortunate but I see no harm in the question itself.  
> **username_4**: Maybe one way to make this question less contentious (as suggested by Alecos in the above-linked meta discussion) would be to ask people to write a pedagogical justification for their answer: How can the jokes people post help to make important ideas in economics more intuitive and entertaining?  
> **username_4**: I'm voting to put this question on hold because its on/off-topic status is currently the subject of a meta debate at http://meta.economics.stackexchange.com/questions/1554/joke-list-question-got-to-hot-network-questions-but-looks-like-it-should-be-clos/. The off-topic arguments are somewhat compelling. Part of the purpose of the beta is to determine the scope of the site, so let's have the meta discussion and decide whether to reopen the question or not.  
> **username_3**: First you are encouraging homework question and now this. Kitsune you are an agent of chaos, the resistance to the site's establishment :)  
> **username_0**: ⚑ The revolution will not be televized ⚑ (I'll edit the question later to make it better fineeeee.)  
> **username_5**: Well, this site is full of it: http://standupeconomist.com/  
> **username_0**: I've redone the question and submitted my vote to reopen. Suggestions welcome. Until then... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsEwK69LXjQ  
> **username_0**: Also I'm only getting rid of the fun tag because economics is ALWAYS fun so I guess it's a bit redundant...  
> **username_6**: I found the former title more catchy...  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_7 on 2016-03-22. Score: 4

A physicist a chemist and an economist are stranded in a deserted island after a wreckage. They have managed to salvage a case of canned food, but they have nothing to open the cans, and the island is a true paradise -meaning, all sand and beaches and soft bushes -but no stones, nothing hard.  
The physicist and the chemist try to put their scientific knowledge to work by conjuring forces of nature, gravity, pressure, materials science, inorganic chemistry etc, but they can't make them to work in their favor, they lack the necessary infrastructure to do it.

Meanhwile, the economist is laying on the side, enjoying the sun and smiling, a bit cockily.

-Why do you smile? - Ask the scientists, angry and frustrated

-Because I have the solution - replies the economist

-Which is? - challenge the scientists

The economist looks up, with a trace of pity in his eyes, gets up and says very confidently:

> **"Assume that we have a can opener".**

---

*Comment: Assuming what one wants to prove is an ever-present trap in Economics especially after its mathematization, something that Paul Samuelson was wise enough to warn us about even as he pushed this very mathematization forward.*


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2016-03-22. Score: 4

Not to suggest that this should become a list of the best econ related <https://xkcd.com/552/> and <http://phdcomics.com/comics.php> but I always really liked that one:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/r5TNb.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/r5TNb.png)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: always a topical post in the sciences  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-03-22. Score: 1

An economics professor and her student are walking on the street. The student points to the ground before them.   
"Professor look! A twenty dollar bill!"   
The professor waves dismissingly.   
"Do not bother picking it up. If it were a real twenty dollar bill someone would already have picked it up."

I also like these two SMBC comics featuring Superman, but the images are big so I will only link to them.   
[It's more complex than you realize.](http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2012)   
[Finally, we found maximum efficiency.](http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2305)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: SMBC can be pretty hit or miss, (especially in its somewhat cursory treatment of views of economists) but I do like that second Superman one.  

---

