Ontology and economics : Tony Lawson and his critics / edited by Edward Fullbrook.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Fullbrook, Edward.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Economics--Methodology.

Economics.

Ontology.

Physical Description:

pages ; cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, [2009]

Summary:

Tony Lawson has become a major figure of intellectual controversy on the back of juxtaposing two relatively simple and seemingly innocuous ideas. He has argued firstly that success in science depends on finding and using methods, including modes of reasoning, appropriate to the nature of the phenomena being studied, and also that there are important differences between the nature of the objects of study of natural sciences and those of social science. This original book brings together some of the world's leading critics of economics orthodoxy to debate Lawson's contribution to the economics literature. The debate centres on ontology, which means enquiry into the nature of what exists, and in this collection scholars such as Bruce Caldwell, John B. Davis and Geoffrey M. Hodgson present their thoughtful criticisms of Lawson's work while Lawson himself presents his reactions.

This book is particularly useful for students and researchers concerned primarily with methodology and future development of economics. It is also relevant to the concerns of philosophers of science and to all social scientists interested in methodological issues.

Contents:

Introduction: Lawson's reorientation / Edward Fullbrook 1

1 Some comments on Lawson's Reorienting Economics: same facts, different conclusions / Bruce Caldwell 13

2 History, causal explanation and "basic economic reasoning": reply to Caldwell / Tony Lawson 20

3 Critical realism in economics: a different view / Bjorn-Ivar Davidsen 40

4 Underlabouring for substantive theorising: reply to Davidsen / Tony Lawson 58

5 The nature of heterodox economics / John B. Davis 83

6 Heterodox economics and pluralism: reply to Davis / Tony Lawson 93

7 Reorienting economics through triangulation of methods / Paul Downward, Andrew Mearman 130

8 Triangulation and social research: reply to Downward and Mearman / Tony Lawson 142

9 Irrelevance and ideology / Bernard Guerrien 158

10 The mainstream orientation and ideology: reply to Guerrien / Tony Lawson 162

11 On the problem of formalism in economics / Geoffrey M. Hodgson 175

12 On the nature and roles of formalism in economics: reply to Hodgson / Tony Lawson 189

13 Finding a critical pragmatism in Reorienting Economics / Bruce R. McFarling 232

14 Ontology or epistemology? Reply to McFarling / Tony Lawson 240

15 (Un)real criticism / David F. Ruccio 263

16 Ontology and postmodernism: reply to Ruccio / Tony Lawson 275

17 Feminism and realism: a contested relationship / Irene Van Staveren 297

18 Feminism, realism and essentialism: reply to van Staveren / Tony Lawson 311

19 Conjectural revisionary ontology / Jack Vromen 325

20 Provisionally grounded critical ontology: reply to Vromen / Tony Lawson 335.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415476133

0415476135

9780203888773

0203888774

OCLC:

227191562