Economism and Economites

The theory that people’s lives are principally focused on “production, exchange, and consumption.”

Writing for The New American, Isabel Lyman listed a number of things that might indicate you are an “economite” including, subscribing to Forbes magazine, or forgoing “family time to work to afford more expensive gadgets, clothes, and trips”:

The term “economite” was coined by John Attarian in his book, “Economism and the National Prospect.” In a brisk 72 pages, Attarian, who earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan, provides plausible answers to the troubling questions that currently preoccupy many thoughtful Americans:

“What has happened to this great nation?

Where are we headed as a people?

Who’s taking us down this road to destruction?

Why do so many seem to be oblivious to the danger?”

Attarian places the blame squarely on the worldview he calls “economism” and its adherents, the “economites.”

Economism incorporates the belief that men and women are primarily economic beings, focused mainly on “production, exchange, and consumption.

Indeed, economism tries to explain virtually all human motivation and action by economics. ”