What does an economist do?

"...I have long believed that the one true test of whether a person is an economist is how devoutly he or she lives by the principle of comparative advantage. And I don't mean just preaching it, but actually practicing it. For example, I always harbour doubts about my economist friends who tell me that they mow their own lawns, rather than hiring a gardener, because they actually enjoy cutting grass. Such a claim is suspect on its face. But, more to the point, a true believer in comparative advantage should be constitutionally incapable of enjoying such activities; the David Ricardo in him should make him feel too guilty."*

*Alan S. Blinder, in Central Banking in Theory and Practice, MIT Press London 1999 p.1

What does an associative economist do?

The task of an associative economist is to make the economic process visible. Thereby humanity can perceive the factors that lie behind price formation, which otherwise remain veiled. For this, precise thinking and apt imagery are needed; and also the willingness to work with others, for the economy is a joint venture. Most fundamentally, perhaps, it is the responsibility of the economist not to merely observe the activity of others in an abstract or academic way, but actually to create in his or her own arrangements an example of what is needed.