Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
  1. Home
  2. Search

Refine search

Refine search

Access:
Content type:
Publication date:
Apply   From and To filters
Subject: Show more
Journals Show more
Publishers: Show more
Societies Show more
Series: Show more
Collections: Show more

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

1 results

  • 12 - Karl Popper and Imre Lakatos

  • from Part II - Theory Assessment
  • Daniel M. Hausman, Rutgers University, New Jersey
  • Book:
    The Inexact and Separate Science of Economics
    Published online:
    25 May 2023
    Print publication:
    08 June 2023, pp 302-334

  • Summary

    Chapter 12 criticizes Karl Poppers and Imre Lakatos’ views on theory appraisal, which have been particularly influential among writers on economic methodology, although their influence has waned. Popperian critics of economics are right to claim that economists seldom practice the falsificationism that many preach, but, in contrast to authors such as Mark Blaug (), I argue that the problem is with the preaching, not with the practice: falsificationism is not a feasible methodology. Although Lakatos provides more resources with which to defend economics than does Popper, his views are also inadequate and for a similar reason. Both Popper and Lakatos deny that there is ever reason to believe that scientific statements are close to the truth or likely to be true, and neither provides a viable construal of tendencies. In denying that such reasons to accept generalizations have a role in either engineering or in theoretical science, Popper and Lakatos are implicitly calling for a radical and destructive transformation of human practices.