Unlearning Economics

Unlearning Lesson #1: Knowledge Can Kill, Unlearn or Die

by Jack Uldrich

Polanyi Quote: The creation of a labor market was an act of vivisection performed on the body public by such as were steeled to the task by an assurance only science can provide.

Julie Nelson: Poisoning the Well

Unlearning (knowledge) is necessary first step to acquisition of KNOWLEDGE

Power/Knowledge: Unlearn the definitions of of knowledge which state that knowledge is true or false, and instead learn the knowledge is historically situated and relates to dominant power configurations. The message of Krugman is what needs to be unlearned:

Surely we don’t want to do economics via textual analysis of the masters. The questions one should ask about any economic approach are whether it helps us understand what’s going on, and whether it provides useful guidance for decisions. So I don’t care whether Hicksian IS-LM is Keynesian in the sense that Keynes himself would have approved of it, and neither should you.

Krugman says that what matters is whether IS-LM is true or false. But actually, to understand Keynesian theory, we must understand the historical context of the theory -- what led Keynes to his theories. In addition, we must understand why Keynes was mis-understood; what were the dangerous elements of his message, and why they were removed from the version of Keynes that became popular

Learning agility is the name of the game. Where the rules are changing fast, your ability to be agile in letting go of old rules and learning new ones is increasingly important. Learning agility is the key to unlocking your change proficiency and succeeding in an uncertain, unpredictable and constantly evolving environment, both personally and professionally. There are countless things you may have to unlearn in your job, business and career, even in the course of the next 12 months.

• Unlearn the designs you use.

• Unlearn the methodology you use.

• Unlearn the technology you use.

• Unlearn the way you approach your brand.

• Unlearn the way you communicate your value.

• Unlearn the way you deliver your value.

• Unlearn the skills and knowledge needed to get to the next level.

• Unlearn who your target market is, what they want and why

• Unlearn how to get the most from your employees.

Unlearning is about moving away from something—letting go—rather than acquiring. It’s like stripping old paint. It lays the foundation for the new layer of fresh learning to be acquired and to stick. But like the painter who needs to prepare a surface, stripping the paint is 70% of the work while repainting is only 30%.