Journal of Economic Methodology 22 (2):157-170 (2015)
Abstract |
The goal of this article is to provide a slightly different spin on economists' use of the positive-normative distinction by providing some context for its use. The major difference is the following: philosophers and philosophically oriented economists, such as Hilary Putnam and John Davis, see the positive-normative distinction in economics as following from the logical positivist position, and they interpret comments made by economists as reflecting scientific methodological positions that have long since been repudiated by philosophers of science. This article argues that economists' use of the positive-normative distinction developed from the Mill–Keynes methodological tradition, which did not hold logical positivist views. Instead, it had pragmatic purposes and was designed to encourage economists to be more modest in their claims for the implications of economic theory. We conclude by arguing that economist's current use of the positive-normative distinction is problematic, as Davis suggests, but th..
|
Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1080/1350178X.2015.1024877 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
A System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive.John Stuart Mill - 1843 - University of Toronto Press.
The Methodology of Positive Economics.Milton Friedman - 1953 - In Essays in Positive Economics. University of Chicago Press. pp. 3-43.
What Do Economists Analyze and Why: Values or Facts?Partha Dasgupta - 2005 - Economics and Philosophy 21 (2):221-278.
View all 10 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
The Normative Decision Theory in Economics: A Philosophy of Science Perspective. The Case of the Expected Utility Theory.Magdalena Małecka - 2019 - Journal of Economic Methodology 27 (1):36-50.
Positive Public Economics: Reinterpreting ‘Optimal’ Policies.Brian C. Albrecht - 2017 - Journal of Economic Methodology 24 (1):90-103.
Liberal Naturalism and Non-Epistemic Values.Ricardo F. Crespo - 2019 - Foundations of Science 24 (2):247-273.
Values in Economics: A Recent Revival with a Twist.Magdalena Małecka - forthcoming - Journal of Economic Methodology:1-10.
Similar books and articles
Beyond the Positive–Normative Dichotomy: Some Remarks on Colander's Lost Art of Economics.Huei-Chun Su - 2012 - Journal of Economic Methodology 19 (4):375-390.
The Politics of Positivism: Disinterested Predictions From Interested Agents.Jesús Zamora Bonilla - unknown
Anthropologists and Economists: Conflict or Cooperation?John Lodewijks - 1994 - Journal of Economic Methodology 1 (1):81-104.
1. The Relation Between Positive and Normative Economics Confusion Between Positive and Normative Economics is to Some Extent Inevitable. The Subject Matter of Economics is Regarded by Almost Everyone From Essays in Positive Economics (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1953), Part I, Sections 1, 2, 3, and 6.Positive Economics & Milton Friedman - 1979 - In Frank Hahn & Martin Hollis (eds.), Philosophy and Economic Theory. Oxford University Press. pp. 18.
How Economists Got It Wrong: A Nuanced Account.David Colander - 2011 - Critical Review 23 (1-2):1-27.
The Role of Ideology in Disagreements Among Economists: A Quantitative Analysis.Thomas Mayer - 2001 - Journal of Economic Methodology 8 (2):253-273.
Donald Davidson's Theory of Mind is Non-Normative.Timothy Schroeder - 2003 - Philosophers' Imprint 3:1-14.
Normative and Positive Theories of Public Finance: Contrasting Musgrave and Buchanan.Maxime Desmarais-Tremblay - 2014 - Journal of Economic Methodology 21 (3):273-289.
Economists' Preferences and the Preferences of Economists.Bryan G. Norton - 1994 - Environmental Values 3 (4):311 - 332.
48 Positive-Normative Distinction in British History of Economic Thought.Samuel Weston - 2009 - In Jan Peil & Irene van Staveren (eds.), Handbook of Economics and Ethics. Edward Elgar. pp. 366.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2015-05-02
Total views
28 ( #370,557 of 2,409,595 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
2 ( #347,486 of 2,409,595 )
2015-05-02
Total views
28 ( #370,557 of 2,409,595 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
2 ( #347,486 of 2,409,595 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads