Ebook: Critical Economic Methodology: a Personal Odyssey

Lawrence Boland takes issue with both economic methodologists and practicing economists. He argues that there has been too much 'methodology for methodology's sake' and that mainstream economics might benefit by using methodology to take a critical look at economic theory.;Book Cover -- Half-Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Prologue -- METHODOLOGY'S DEMAND AND SUPPLY -- OUTLINE OF THE BOOK -- Part I Friedman's methodology essay -- 1 Economic methodology prior to 1979 -- THE SAGA OF MY 1979 JEL PAPER -- NOTES -- 2 Criticizing the critiques of Friedman's 1953 essay -- THE USEFULNESS OF LOGIC -- Modus ponens: logic's only useful property -- Beyond modus ponens -- Objectives of an argument: necessity vs sufficiency -- 'INSTRUMENTALISM' AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOGIC, TRUTH AND THEORIES -- The problem of induction -- 'Inductivism' -- The 'conventionalist' alternative to inductivism -- Instrumentalism and the usefulness of logic -- A READER'S GUIDE TO FRIEDMAN'S ESSAY -- An overview -- 'Positive vs normative economics': the problem of induction in instrumentalist terms -- 'Positive economics': conventionalist criteria used with an instrumentalist purpose -- 'Realism of assumptions' vs the convenience of instrumentalist methodology -- The 'positive aspects of assumptions' are positive aspects of instrumentalist methodology -- 'Economic issues' or some examples of instrumentalist successes -- THE CRITICS -- Testability vs refutability: Koopmans -- Necessity of verifying assumptions: Rotwein -- Testability as refutability: Bear and Orr and Melitz -- Errors of omission: De Alessi -- The 'F-Twist': Samuelson -- ON CRITICIZING INSTRUMENTALISM -- NOTES -- 3 Criticizing satisficing, empiricism and formalism in methodology -- THE SOCIOLOGY OF ECONOMICS VS DEFEATIST CONVENTIONALISM -- EVIDENCE OF THE HOSTILE ATMOSPHERE -- SATISFICING IN METHODOLOGY -- My critique of Simon's critique of Friedman's essay -- Satisficing and the acceptance of unsuccessful methodological critiques -- FRIEDMAN'S METHODOLOGY VS CONVENTIONAL EMPIRICISM -- Instrumentalism and the 'realism' of assumptions.