Beyond positivism : economic methodology in the twentieth century / Bruce J. Caldwell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Caldwell, Bruce, 1952-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Economics--Methodology.

Economics.

Positivism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (298 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London ; Boston : Allen & Unwin, 1982.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Since its publication in 1982, this book has become established as one of the major works in economic methodology, with its rejection of positivism and advocacy of pluralism profoundly influencing economics over the last decade.

Contents:

Book Cover; Title; Contents; Preface to revised edition; Acknowledgments; Introduction; The Vienna Circle; The Logical Positivist Program; Notes; Introduction; The Search for a Criterion of Cognitive Significance; The Status, Structure, and Function of Theories and Theoretical Terms; The Nature of Scientific Explanation; A Representative Logical Empiricist; Notes; Introduction; Confirmation, Induction, and Popper's Methodological Falsificationism; Theories and Theoretical Terms; The Nature of Scientific Explanation; Summary; Notes; Introduction; Thomas Kuhn; Paul K.Feyerabend; Imre Lakatos

Contemporary Philosophy of ScienceA Dilettante's Review and Commentary; Notes; Robbins's Essay; Robbins and the Austrians; Hutchison's Introduction of Positivism; Philosophical Evaluation; The Austrian Revival; The Inadequacy of the Usual Attacks on Austrian Methodology; Some Doubts about Falsificationism in Economics; The Critique of Austrian Methodology; Notes; Machlup's Attack; Hutchison's Ambiguous Response; Philosophical Evaluation; The Rationality Postulate; An Overview; Some Questions Concerning the Rationality Postulate; Summary and Conclusion; Notes; Friedman's Marketing Masterpiece

Philosophical EvaluationA Restatement; Friedman as a Methodological Instrumentalist; The Philosophical Rejection of Instrumentalism; The Methodological Critique of Friedman's Position; Summary and Conclusion; Notes; Introduction; An Anachronistic View of Scientific Explanation; Wong's Critique of Revealed Preference Theory; Does Explanation Exist in Economics?; Notes; The Benefits of Understanding the Philosophical Issues; Can Philosophy of Science Make Economic Methodology Better?; Can Other Approaches Be Taken?; Notes

Prescription, Description, and Theory Appraisal Confirmation and FalsificationismThe Theory Choice Problem and the Growth of Knowledge Tradition; The Integration of Prescription and Drescription; Notes; Confirmation and Falsificationism in Economics Confirmationism and the Practice of Economists; Falsificationism and the Rhetoric of Methodologists; Notes; Methodological Pluralism; Answers to Some Possible Objections; Notes; Notes for Further Reading; Philosophy of Science; Notes for Further Reading; Methodology of Economics; Bibliography; Philosophy of Science; Bibliography

Methodology of EconomicsIndex

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [258]-272) and index.

ISBN:

1-134-83863-8

1-134-83864-6

0-429-23433-3

1-280-31672-1

0-203-56552-5

0-203-56780-3

9780429234330

OCLC:

437073781