astronomy

Michael Perelman (economist)

Michael Perelman (economist) is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Michael Perelman (economist) rather than just read about it. In short: Michael Perelman (October 1, 1939 - September 21, 2020) was an American economist and economic historian, former professor of economics at California State University, Chico. Perelman wrote 19 books, including Railroading Economics, Manufacturing Discontent, The Perverse Economy, and The Invention of Capitalism.

Key takeaways

Michael Perelman (economist) belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Michael Perelman (economist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Michael Perelman (economist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Michael Perelman (October 1, 1939 - September 21, 2020) was an American economist and economic historian, former professor of economics at California State University, Chico. Perelman wrote 19 books, including Railroading Economics, Manufacturing Discontent, The Perverse Economy, and The Invention of Capitalism.

Biography A student of economics at the University of Michigan and San Francisco State College, Perelman earned a Ph.D in agricultural economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1971, under supervision of George Kuznets. Perelman wrote that he was drawn away from the "framework of conventional economics," noticing that the agricultural system was "consuming ten times more energy than it was producing in the form of edible food." Perelman's research into how a "profit-oriented agricultural system created hunger, pollution, serious public health consequences, and environmental disruption, while throwing millions of people off the land" led to his first book, Farming for Profit in a Hungry World (1977). Perelman continued to write extensively in criticism of conventional or mainstream economics, including in all his books (and especially his books published from 2000 to date), papers and interviews. Although perceiving flaws in Marx's work as it is typically interpreted in the context of its modern reading, Perelman wrote that "Marx’s crisis theory was far more sophisticated than many modern readers had realized," focusing on an interpretation that is largely bypassed by many readers of Marxian economic thought. Perelman viewed Marxist theory as vindicated through its account of crises that a capitalist economy must inherently generate. Perelman appeared on a number of programs, including Media Matters, Pacifica Radio, KPFA 94.1 Berkeley, and WBBR (Bloomberg Radio).

Books Farming for Profit in a Hungry World (1977) Classical Political Economy, Primitive Accumulation and the Social Division of Labor (1983) Karl Marx’s Crises Theories: Labor, Scarcity and Fictitious Capital (1987) Keynes, Investment Theory and the Economic Slowdown: The Role of Replacement Investment and q-Ratios (1989) Information, Social Relations, and the Economics of High Technology (1991) The Pathology of the U.S. Economy: The Costs of a Low Wage System (1993) The End of Economics (1996) Class Warfare in the Information Age (1998) The Natural Instability of Markets: Expectations, Increasing Returns and the Collapse of Markets (1999) Transcending the Economy: On the Potential of Passionate Labor and the Wastes of the Market (2000) The Invention of Capitalism: The Secret History of Primitive Accumulation (2000) The Pathology of the U.S. Economy Revisited: The Intractable Contradictions of Economic Policy (2001) Steal This Idea: Intellectual Property and The Corporate Confiscation of Creativity (2002) The Perverse Economy: The Impact of Markets on People and Nature (2003) Manufacturing Discontent: The Trap of Individualism in a Corporate Society (2005) Railroading Economics: The Creation of the Free Market Mythology (2006) The Confiscation of American Prosperity: From Right-Wing Extremism and Economic Ideology to the Next Great Depression (2007) The Invisible Handcuffs of Capitalism: How Market Tyranny Stifles the Economy by Stunting Workers (2011)

References

External links

California State University page Michael Perelman's blog Unsettling Economics Michael Perelman. (2000). The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation Published by Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-2491-1, ISBN 978-0-8223-2491-1 "What's Wrong with Tort Reform?" by Michael Perelman (Monthly Review) Michael Perelman: An Audio Podcast with Bob McChesney Interview with Michael Perelman by JK Fowler for The Mantle on March 19, 2011 Interview with Michael Perelman by JK Fowler for The Mantle on April 15, 2012

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Michael Perelman (economist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Michael Perelman (economist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Michael Perelman (economist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Michael Perelman (economist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Michael Perelman (economist)

In research: Michael Perelman (economist) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Michael Perelman (economist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Michael Perelman (economist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1939 births, 2020 deaths, American economic historians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Michael Perelman (economist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Michael Perelman (economist) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Michael Perelman (economist) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Michael Perelman (economist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Michael Perelman (economist) in simple terms?

Why does Michael Perelman (economist) matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Michael Perelman (economist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Michael Perelman (economist).