Tempered Steele? On the Merits of Critical Realism and the ‘Ontological Turn’ in Economics

(2011): Critical Review, 23: 207-30

30 Pages Posted: 14 Dec 2014

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

The discipline of economics can benefit a more explicit, systematic and sustained concern with ontology, that is, with the philosophical analysis of the nature of the social world. Contrary to the argument advanced in an article recently published in Critical Review (Steele 2005), the ontological analysis provided by critical realism can assist in the development of fruitful economic analysis in a number of ways: (i) by helping to identify research methods suitable for analysing economic issues; (ii) by promoting the development of key substantive economic concepts; and (iii) by helping to reveal and resolve inconsistencies in existing research.

Keywords: Economics, ontology, critical realism

JEL Classification: B00, B40, B41

Suggested Citation

Lewis, Paul Andrew, Tempered Steele? On the Merits of Critical Realism and the ‘Ontological Turn’ in Economics (2011). (2011): Critical Review, 23: 207-30, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2537621

Paul Andrew Lewis (Contact Author)

King's College London ( email )

Bush House
Aldwych
London, WC2R 2LS
United Kingdom
+44 0 20 7848 3970 (Phone)
+44 0 20 7848 3970 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/politicaleconomy/people/academic/lewis.aspx

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
61
Abstract Views
612
Rank
638,193
PlumX Metrics