The greatest contribution of Iranian civilization to the modern world is a statement attributed to Khomeini: “Economics is for donkeys.” The remark is shocking, but still philosophically precise. Economics may be one of the most efficient explanatory frameworks for human life, but it explains almost nothing about the human existence as such. It reduces man to his lowest, most widely shared characteristics—needs, scarcity, calculation— because these are the simplest to quantify and the easiest to generalize. In doing so, it defines men by the most common denominator they share.