Philosophy of Economics (Handbook of the Philosophy of Science) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 044451676X ISBN 13: 9780444516763

Publisher: North Holland, 2011

Synopsis

Part of the Handbook of the Philosophy of Science Series edited by:

Dov M. Gabbay King's College, London, UK;
Paul Thagard University of Waterloo, Canada; and
John Woods University of British Columbia, Canada.

Philosophy of Economics investigates the foundational concepts and methods of economics, the social science that analyzes the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. This groundbreaking collection, the most thorough treatment of the philosophy of economics ever published, brings together philosophers, scientists and historians to map out the central topics in the field. The articles are divided into two groups. Chapters in the first group deal with various philosophical issues characteristic of economics in general, including realism and Lakatos, explanation and testing, modeling and mathematics, political ideology and feminist epistemology. Chapters in the second group discuss particular methods, theories and branches of economics, including forecasting and measurement, econometrics and experimentation, rational choice and agency issues, game theory and social choice, behavioral economics and public choice, geographical economics and evolutionary economics, and finally the economics of scientific knowledge. This volume serves as a detailed introduction for those new to the field as well as a rich source of new insights and potential research agendas for those already engaged with the philosophy of economics.

• Provides a bridge between philosophy and current scientific findings
• Encourages multi-disciplinary dialogue
• Covers theory and applications

About this title

About the Author

Dov M. Gabbay is Augustus De Morgan Professor Emeritus of Logic at the Group of Logic, Language and Computation, Department of Computer Science, King's College London. He has authored over four hundred and fifty research papers and over thirty research monographs. He is editor of several international Journals, and many reference works and Handbooks of Logic.

From the Back Cover

Economics is a contested discipline – “the queen of the social sciences” as well as “the dismal science” – that functions as a powerful epistemic institution in contemporary society. It is a social science with many characteristics of natural sciences, yet without the successes of the best of the latter. This gives rise to philosophical disputes about its goals and achievements, concepts and methods.

The essays in this Handbook are divided in two parts. The first deals with General Philosophical Themes such as realism and antirealism, the Popperian tradition, issues of modelling, causation and explanation, evidence and mathematics, values and ideology. The second part focuses on Specific Methods, Theories, Approaches, and Paradigms, such as forecasting and measurement, econometrics and experimentation, homo economicus and rational choice, game theory and behavioural economics, public choice and geographical economics, evolutionary economics and the economics of scientific knowledge. Together the 27 essays, authored by the best experts in the area, give a comprehensive overview of the key issues in current philosophy of economics.

Edition details

• Publisher: North Holland
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 044451676X
• ISBN 13: 9780444516763
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 928
• Editor: Mäki Uskali