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Analysis Of Hanley 's Everyday Things

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Summarize: The main argument in Hanley’s Everyday Things in Premodern Japan, is that the standard of living is an inaccurate way to evaluate the pre-industrialization of Japan. Hanley breaks down her argument by explaining it in three suitable subparts. She explains that the standard of living is an insufficient way to indicate how people lived during that period, an insufficient way of examining sine qua nons of the industrialization, and an insufficient way to set side by side with other industrialized states during that period. Explain: Hanley makes arguments to justify her alternative, but she first uses a method that is diabolical. She first presents the current method that economists uses to compare states and then she shows how it is insufficient to use it. The term standard of living is broke down by Hanley and then opens way for her alternative to comparing states during the period of pre-industrialization. Hanley first undermines the (GDP) standard of living, and thus gives a logical reasoning why it is inaccurate to use when comparing states. The standard of living is used by economists to evaluate the “quantities of goods and services available for consumption”(Hanley, 1997). She then explains, it is good to use the standard of living method in modern nations, but then explains, “the standard of living is only as good as the data used to calculate it”(Hanley, 1997) She is clearly stating that method of standard of living, is only good if you have the

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