Death of a metaphor: the 'invisible hand'

Asad Zaman

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 2013, vol. 4, issue 1, 15-29

Abstract: Models are representations of reality. They simplify and ignore many complexities in order to focus on certain aspects. With constant and repeated use, theorists sometimes confuse the model with reality. This leads to many types of errors. In this article, we argue that the metaphor of the invisible hand has become deeply entrenched in the ways of thinking about and framing of economic problems. This has led to overuse and abuse of the metaphor. Why this happened, what harm has resulted from it, and how it can be remedied is the subject of this paper.

Keywords: Adam Smith; invisible hand; economic problems; economics. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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