Journal of Economic Methodology 3 (2):215-236 (1996)
| Abstract |
Economics has been persistently criticized for its heavy reliance on unrealistic assumptions. Some people reply to this criticism by saying that the unrealistic assumptions of economics result from abstraction from unimportant details, and abstraction is necessary for knowledge of a complex real world. So, far from unrealistic assumptions detracting from the epistemic worth of economics, such assumptions are essential for economic knowledge. I call this line of argument ?the Abstractionist Defense?. After clarifying abstraction, unrealistic assumptions and kindred notions, I show that the Abstractionist Defense does not successfully rebut the position of those who criticize economics for its unrealistic assumptions.
|
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) |
| Categories | (categorize this paper) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13501789600000016 |
| Options |
Mark as duplicate
Export citation
Request removal from index
|
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Microeconomic Laws: A Philosophical Analysis.Alexander Rosenberg - 1976 - University of Pittsburgh Press.
Philosophical Foundations of the Social Sciences: Analyzing Controversies in Social Research.Harold Kincaid - 1995 - Cambridge University Press.
Isolation, Idealization and Truth in Economics.Uskali Mäki - 1994 - Poznan Studies in the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities 38:147-168.
Essays on Philosophy and Economic Methodology.Daniel M. Hausman - 1992 - Cambridge University Press.
View all 10 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
On the Problematic Link Between Fundamental Ethics and Economic Policy Recommendations.Olof Johansson-Stenman - 1998 - Journal of Economic Methodology 5 (2):263-297.
Structure in Economic Theory and Structure in Real World Economic Systems.Lauchlan Mackinnon - manuscript
Similar books and articles
Unrealistic Assumptions in Rational Choice Theory.Aki Lehtinen & Jaakko Kuorikoski - 2007 - Philosophy of the Social Sciences 37 (2):115-138.
Unobservability, Tractability and the Battle of Assumptions.Frank A. Hindriks - 2005 - Journal of Economic Methodology 12 (3):383-406.
False Models as Explanatory Engines.Frank Hindriks - 2008 - Philosophy of the Social Sciences 38 (3):334-360.
Contrastive Explanation and Unrealistic Models: The Case of the New Economic Geography.Caterina Marchionni - 2006 - Journal of Economic Methodology 13 (4):425-446.
Unrealistic Assumptions and Unnecessary Confusions : Rereading and Rewriting F53 as a Realist Statement.Uskali Mäki - 2009 - In The methodology of positive economics : Reflections on the Milton Friedman legacy. Cambridge University Press.
On the Applicability of the Quantum Measurement Formalism.Hasok Chang - 1997 - Erkenntnis 46 (2):143-163.
Teaching Economic Philosophy: Economics, Ethics and the Search for the Right Maximand.L. A. Duhs - 2006 - .
Unrealistic Fictions.Allan Hazlett & Christy Mag Uidhir - 2011 - American Philosophical Quarterly 48 (1):33--46.
Buyer Beware: Robustness Analyses in Economics and Biology.Jay Odenbaugh & Anna Alexandrova - 2011 - Biology and Philosophy 26 (5):757-771.
Criticizing the Critique. Some Methodological Insights Into the Debate on the State of Economic Theory in the Face of the Post 2008 Crisis.Lukasz Hardt - 2010 - Bank&Credit 41 (4):7-22.
Abstraction and Additional Nature.Bob Hale & Crispin Wright - 2008 - Philosophia Mathematica 16 (2):182-208.
'The Methodology of Positive Economics' (1953) Does Not Give Usthemethodology of Positive Economics.Uskali Mäki - 2003 - Journal of Economic Methodology 10 (4):495-505.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2012-02-20
Total views
48 ( #236,111 of 2,507,661 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
1 ( #416,871 of 2,507,661 )
2012-02-20
Total views
48 ( #236,111 of 2,507,661 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
1 ( #416,871 of 2,507,661 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads
