The Duhem‐Quine thesis and experimental economics: A reinterpretation
The Duhem‐Quine thesis asserts that any empirical evaluation of a theory is in fact a composite test of several interconnected hypotheses. Recalcitrant evidence signals falsity within the conjunction of hypotheses, but logic alone cannot pinpoint the individual element(s) inside the theoretical cluster responsible for a false prediction. This paper considers the relevance of the Duhem‐Quine thesis for experimental economics. A starting point is to detail how laboratory evaluations of economic hypotheses constitute composite tests. Another aim is to scrutinize the strategy of conducting a series of experiments in order to hem in the source(s) of disconfirmative evidence. A Bayesian approach is employed to argue that reproducing experiments may be useful in terms of identifying plausible causes of recalcitrant data.
Keywords: Duhem‐Quine thesis; experimental economics; methodology
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: Centre Party Parliamentary Group, Stortinget—The Norwegian Parliament
Publication date: 01 December 2005
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