Though the philosophical reflection on economics is
as old as economics itself, the first philosopher of economics in the
proper sense of the word is John Stuart Mill (1806–1873). Since then,
there has been an ongoing and quite diverse development of the subject.
Particularly in the last thirty years, economics and philosophy have
come closer together due to advances and aspirations on both sides. But
still, economics is a science with certain peculiarities which makes it
quite interesting from the philosophy of science point of view. Albeit
philosophy of economics comprises also ethical issues, the seminar will
focus on theoretical issues, especially on models and causation in
economics. Hence, the (highly interrelated) questions the seminar will
deal with are, among others: what is economics in the first place? What
is a (good) economic model? How must one assess the fact that many
economic models rely on highly unrealistic assumptions? What about
causation in economics – do paradigmatic macroeconomic generalizations
like the Phillips Curve represent causal relationships? What is the
ontological status of economic phenomena? And can economics be a proper
science at all? Prior knowledge of (philosophy of) economics is
recommended but not presupposed. The relevant literature as well as the
CP-modalities will be presented in the first session. Backhouse, R. E. and Medema, S. G. (2009): “On the Definition of Economics”, The Journal of Economic Perspectives 23:1, pp. 221–234. Hausman, D. M. (2001): “Explanation and Diagnosis in Economics”, Revue InternatioÂnale de Philosophie 55:3 (No. 217), pp. 311–326. —(2013): “Philosophy of Economics”, in: Zalta, E. N. (ed.): The Stanford Encyclopedia of PhiloÂsophy, Winter 2013 Edition; URL (permalink) = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2013/entries/economics/>. Kincaid, H. and Ross, D. (2009): “Introduction: The New Philosophy of Economics”, in: Kincaid, H. and Ross, D. (eds.): The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Economics, Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 3–32. Mäki, U. (2014): “Economics”, in: Curd, M. and Psillos, S. (eds.): The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science, second edition, Abingdon/New York: Routledge, pp. 621–632.
- Kursleiter/in: Benedikt Fait