Realist Philosophy of the social sciences and economics: a critique

Baert, Patrick

doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.cje.a013631

Cited by 37 publications

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“…However, the TMSA perspective has also been criticized for being a 'conservative, recursive model for social action, a reminiscence of the concept autopoesis in biology' (Baert, 1996: 521, as cited in Wad, 2000. Likewise, the Danish philosopher Finn Collin has summed up the dilemma of TMSA by pointing out that despite the insistence on social practices as reducible neither to structures, nor to individual action, a more precise assessment of the relation between the social and the individual is still missing (Collin, 2000: 84).…”

Section: Cr and Abduction: A Pragmatist Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Elementary Forms of Pragmatism

Bertilsson

2004

European Journal of Social Theory

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Among the classical pragmatists Charles Sanders Peirce is often regarded as the most removed from practical affairs; he is seen as the most 'scientific'. The aim of this article is to show his practical usefulness in daily affairs in determining that 'which is the case'. The abductive inference had a pivotal role in his pragmatist theory of inquiry. As Umberto Eco has shown, abduction is as equally central in the writing of detective stories as it is in the making of science. Recently, abduction has gained a renewed interest not only in the idea that science is basically 'conjectural' (Ginzburg and Popper), but also in different versions of critical realism. Here abduction gains interest as a 'theoretical inference' of special concern for the social sciences. An overview of various usages of abduction, from Eco to Bhaskar, is followed by a critical pragmatist assessment.

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Section: Cr and Abduction: A Pragmatist Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Elementary Forms of Pragmatism

Bertilsson

2004

European Journal of Social Theory

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“…Néanmoins, il ne faut pas confondre cette position avec celle du « réalisme critique ». À ce sujet, voir Baert (1996), Muchlinski (2002) et Parsons (1999.…”

Section: Probabilités Ignorance Et Incertitudeunclassified

Épistémologie et probabilité chez Keynes

Muchlinski

2004

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Cet article propose une analyse épistémologique de la théorie des probabilités de Keynes. Il concerne plus particulièrement le lien entre la conception keynésienne des probabilités et la théorie économique élaborée par Keynes. Nous montrerons que Keynes s’oppose à l’esthétisme formel, aux lois rigides et à la théorie orthodoxe en raison de sa prétendue universalité spatio-temporelle. Nous verrons que Keynes substitue aux catégories traditionnelles, entre autres celles de rigueur et de connaissance complète, de nouvelles catégories comme celles d’incertitude, d’ignorance et d’anticipation. Étant donné que Keynes rejette d’entrée de jeu les calculs du type ce ceux que l’on retrouve dans les approches inspirées de Bentham, nous ferons voir que sa théorie économique prend en compte la fragilité et la précarité de la connaissance. Nous insisterons enfin pour dire que Keynes nous paraît également dépasser le constructivisme, car il rejette ouvertement le recours aux concepts vides, à savoir ceux qui ne sont pour lui qu’un squelette sans chair. Enfin, nous mettrons en évidence que, poussé par le besoin de se fonder sur des principes valides a priori, Keynes abandonne l’empirisme classique à son sort.This paper deals with Keynes epistemological approach to the theory of probability, which was also relevant for his economic theory. In his economic theory he objected to formal aestheticism, rigid rules, and orthodox theory because of its alleged universality in space and time. He transformed categories such as rigor and complete knowledge into uncertainty, ignorance, and anticipations. His economic theory encompasses fragility and precariousness of knowledge since he had already rejected Benthamite calculation. He abandoned constructivism because he rejected empty concepts as dry bones. He left classical empiricism behind him since he needed to focus on a priori principles

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“…Against this danger, Lawson's "Workshop on Realism and Economics" has cast a wide net, reaching from Diana Strassmann to Frank Hahn and drawing participants from many countries. Literature has also sprung up around themes emphasized by Lawson [Arestis, 1996;Baert, 1996;Dow, 1990Dow, , 1995Fleetwood, 1996;Sofianou, 1995]. Only the future can tell whether such discussions will ossify into quarrelsome dogma or flower into serious reforms.…”

Section: Lawson's Reformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting the mainstream: Lawson's impetusEconomics and Reality tony lawson routledge, 1997, 364 pp.

Fullbrook¹

1998

Atlantic Economic Journal

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Lawson's Economics and Reality is a deeply informed attempt to liberate economics from its usually tacit, metaphysical presuppositions inherited from Newtonian physics and enlightenment epistemology. Lawson fears that the economics profession faces declining prosperity due to its decreasing public credibility and the increasing annexation of its traditional ground of inquiry by other disciplines. Lawson's book attempts to revamp economic methodology in order to reverse these trends. This article examines the recent philosophical ideas informing Lawson's project, considers his critique of contemporary economics, and relates his ideas for reform to those of other economists. (JEL BOO, C10, DO0, D12)

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Realist Philosophy of the social sciences and economics: a critique

Cited by 37 publications

References 0 publications

The Elementary Forms of Pragmatism

The Elementary Forms of Pragmatism

Épistémologie et probabilité chez Keynes

Shifting the mainstream: Lawson's impetusEconomics and Reality tony lawson routledge, 1997, 364 pp.

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