There are other important differences between economics and its critics. One is whether it is ever acceptable to put monetary values on intrinsically good things like nature or human life. The economists’ answer is that there are implicit valuations made whenever people make choices about where to build roads or what safety features to require of new products, so is it not better to be explicit about those judgements? (Location 113)
More subtly, the values of economists and those of the population as a whole seem to diverge. Surveys show wide gaps between economists’ views and public opinion on a range of policy questions, including politically contentious ones (e.g., Johnston and Ballard 2016). Economists have been found to be more individualist and even to be less pro-social than their peers (Bauman and Rose 2011; Frank, Gilovich, and Regan 1993), with some debate as to whether these types of people self-select into economics or whether learning the subject makes them this way. (Location 182)
