Economic theories are fables: simplified stories that convey insight by distilling complex realities into stylized, imaginary settings. In this course, we aim to look past the mathematical wrapper that often serves auxiliary purposes in economic research, and instead extract the core lessons offered by modern economic theory.

The course is organized into two main parts. In the first part, we focus on the foundational tools required to formulate a sound economic theory. This includes learning logic and game theory in a constructive manner. Students are expected to master the material in this section and develop the analytical skills that will be essential for the remainder of the course.

In the second part, we explore a range of topics from applied economic theory. The objective here is not to work through technical details, but to understand the fundamental incentive mechanisms underlying classic results, such as free-riding in teamwork, stable matching in marriage markets, Arrow's impossibility theorem, and persuasion through information concealment.