The General Impossibility of Neoclassical Economics

This article recalls how neo-classical economics prides itself both on its mathematical rigour and on the universal applicability of its principles, and how, on this basis, “economics imperialism” is colonising the subject matter of the other social sciences. Critics of the mainstream have emphasise...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Fine, Ben
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2011
País:México
Institución:UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE NUEVO LEÓN
Repositorio:Ensayos Revista de Economía
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:ensayos.uanl.mx:article/77
Acceso en línea:https://ensayos.uanl.mx/index.php/ensayos/article/view/77
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:individualism
holism
mathematical foundations.
Descripción
Sumario:This article recalls how neo-classical economics prides itself both on its mathematical rigour and on the universal applicability of its principles, and how, on this basis, “economics imperialism” is colonising the subject matter of the other social sciences. Critics of the mainstream have emphasised the conceptual and theoretical weaknesses of reliance upon axiomatic deductivism and methodological individualism of a special type, as well as denying the image that the mainstream has of itself as emulating the natural sciences. In a complementary critique, this article demonstrates, by drawing upon Russell’s logical paradoxes, how results from within mathematics itself, as opposed to its application, impose unnoticed limitations upon the scope and consistency of the mainstream. JEL Classification: B41.