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"Much though it's now treated as a natural fact, the very idea that something called 'the economy' exists is a relatively recent concept. The expression would have meant nothing to Luther, Shakespeare, or Voltaire. Even after its existence was widely accepted, the referent kept shifting. When the term 'political economy' first came into common usage in the early nineteenth century, for instance, the idea was very close to 'ecology' (to which it is etymologically linked): both referred to what were thought to be self-regulating systems which, if they remained in natural balance, also produced something extra (profit, growth, nature's bounty…) for humans to enjoy. Now, it would seem, we have reached the point where 'the economy' refers not to a mechanism for the provision of human needs or even desires, but largely, to that very extra added on top: that which grows when GDP increases. As we've just learned from the lock-down, this is largely smoke and mirrors. In other words, we've reached the point where 'the economy' is largely a code-word for the bullshit economy; it is excess, but not excess celebrated for its own uselessness, as aristocrats might have once have done, but excess aggressively fostered as the realm of necessity, 'utility', 'productivity' or hard-headed realism." -- David Graeber, "vers une «bullshit economy»", 2020-05-27 ( French version)
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I'm a KISS type and mostly pan anything of this topic because, when it all starts out with "It's Complicated", that tells me the presenter doesn't have the subject actually thought out and likely doesn't understand enough for me to waste time with explanations they offer.
Anyway, could i get you to tell me more? Website(s), etc.?
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However, explaining something entails breaking it down into manageable parts, solving each part then integrating it back into the larger topic. What follows is comprehension and the ability to present the topic to someone else, even if that entails much study on the student's part.
None of this appears to be true with "business" and "the economy.' Those who start with "it's complicated" are going to try to lead one down their path and require one to take what they say as maxims and starting points, and right there, from the get-go, it's all "i'm the expert, take what i say as facts."
Nope, ain't gonna happen that way. When i was very young, it was done to me, but now? "Fool me once..." it isn't going to happen again, because "been there, done that."
Specifically, this is in regards to the whole "economy" thing.
Even so, it's been working well for me for many years now, in most (maybe all) areas i can think of.
Re: Wish to know more?
Recently on Twitter I got into a couple of conversations about this from different angles. Mostly I come down on the "if you understand it, you can explain it" side, but the explanation isn't always short or simple, and sometimes starting out with "this is going to take a while -- are you sure you want it?" makes sense, and sometimes "this is going to take a while but it's important so please be patient and pay attention" goes there.
There are also explanations at different levels of abstraction, and some require a caveat of, "it's sort of like this but I'm sketching a broad outline here, not giving you enough detail that you can really say you understand it yet" is warranted.
Like, I'm not going to explain why PV effect works without my listener understanding photons and electrons and atoms first. If you want to know what it does, sure: light hitting certain substances generates electrical potential that we can make use of. If you want to know why it works, I first have to figure out how much background you're going to need. (And if you have more of that background than I do, then you probably already know how it works.)
Bottom line, some things really are complicated, and can be explained, yes, but the explanation will be complicated. And yes, yes, there are also things that are hokum and the complexity is just smokescreen, and things that aren't understood well enough to give a good explanation for. But sometimes things are explainable yet still complicated.