In my own small tribute to Leonard Nimoy, it seems appropriate to recall a 1997 article I wrote in The Independent pointing to Mr Spock, along with Hercule Poirot, as the ideal rational economic man. Economists seem particularly keen on the two genres of science fiction and detective fiction I argue there, and both Noah Smith and I have revisited that theme.

Live long and prosper!

For all who don’t know it, [amazon_link id=”074562491X” target=”_blank” ]Star Trek: The Human Frontier[/amazon_link] by Michele and Duncan Barrett is a fabulous exploration of why the series and films say so much about humanity and western culture.

[amazon_image id=”074562491X” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Star Trek: The Human Frontier[/amazon_image]