ABSTRACT
The economics profession as a whole puts a heavy emphasis on formal equilibrium model building. The norms of formal model building do much to give the profession a set of standards for how economic research is to proceed and what constitutes good work. A scientific community can't run without norms and standards. This fact is sometimes neglected by those who complain about formal model building; sometimes they seem to view formal model building as an unnecessary hinderance on discourse. It is as though they see the "true" way of good work, and but for the emphasis on model building that truth would become apparent to all.
