The Economic World View: Studies in the Ontology of Economics: Edited by Uskali Mäki: 9780521000208: Book: Business & Economics: eCampus.com

Does economic man exist? Do aggregates exist? Do markets have an essence? How are economic phenomena caused? Do economists believe in the theories they use? These essays seek to unearth the "ontological underworld" that shapes the criteria economists use in making choices among theories to understand economic behavior. These criteria include fundamental, unarticulated ideas regarding the basic constitutents and structure of social reality, that is, about human beings and the social arrangement of their lives. This important collection will be of great value to economists and philosophers of social sciences.

These essays consider 'ontological criteria', how economists choose models and theories to understand economic behaviour.

Notes on the contributors

Preface

I The what, why, and how of economic ontology

Economic ontology: what? why? how?

(12)

Uskali Maki

The empirical presuppositions of metaphysical explanations in economics

(17)

Harold Kincaid

Quality and quantity in economics: the metaphysical construction of the economics realm

(25)

Scott Meikle

II Rationality and homo economicus

The normative core of rational choice theory

(18)

Russell Hardin

The virtual reality of homo economicus

(23)

Philip Pettit

Expressive rationality: is self-worth just another kind of preference?

(16)

Shaun Hargraves Heap

Agent identity in economics

114

(18)

John B. Davis

Chances and choices: notes on probability and belief in economic theory

132

(25)

Jochen Runde

III Micro, macro, and markets

Essences and markets

157

(17)

John O'Neill

The metaphysics of microeconomics

174

(15)

Alex Rosenberg

Ontological commitments of evolutionary economics

189

(36)

Jack Vromen

Is macroeconomics for real?

225

(21)

Kevin D. Hoover

The possibility of economic objectivity

246

(29)

Don Ross

Fred Bennett

IV The world of economics causes

Ceteris paribus laws and socio-economics machines

275

(18)

Nancy Cartwright

Tendencies, laws, and the composition of economic causes

293

(15)

Daniel M. Hausman

Economics without mechanism

308

(27)

John Dupre

V Methodological implications of economic ontology

Sargent's symmetry saga: ontological versus technical constraints

335

(24)

Esther-Mirjam Sent

Two models of idealization in economics

359

(10)

Alan Nelson

The way the world works (www): towards an ontology of theory choice

369

(21)

Uskali Maki

Name index

390

(5)

Subject index

395




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