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How to recognise scientific progress and policy relevance of theories in the practice of economic theory makers? To answer this question, we depict what economists have in fact been doing. Starting point is the essentialist approach of the Austrian capital theorist Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk. As to progress in science, instrumentalism and realism are well known philosophical positions. Despite self-conceptions by modern economists to the contrary, they are inclined toward realism; many appear to even have an implicit taste for essentialism. Thus, abstraction of the supposed ''fundamental'' aspects…mehr

Produktbeschreibung
How to recognise scientific progress and policy
relevance of theories in the practice of economic
theory makers? To answer this question, we depict
what economists have in fact been doing. Starting
point is the essentialist approach of the Austrian
capital theorist Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk.
As to progress in science, instrumentalism and
realism are well known philosophical positions.
Despite self-conceptions by modern economists to the
contrary, they are inclined toward realism; many
appear to even have an implicit taste for
essentialism. Thus, abstraction of the
supposed ''fundamental'' aspects of economic reality
turns out to be the engine for research of the
supposed causes of economic phenomena.
But abstraction is not the same as the use of
ceteris paribus clauses. This investigation also
brings clarity to the much debated difference
between abstraction and idealisation.
Lastly, this thesis defends the essentialist
practices in economics while trying to do justice to
the fact that knowledge can only be indexed to
conceptual schemes.
Autorenporträt
Menno Rol studied economics and philosophy in Groningen. His interests comprise explanatory unification, scientific concept
formation and social ontology. He currently teaches philosophy
of social science at the University of Groningen and he presides
the board for the renewed Dutch secondary school economics
examinations.