Truth and Progress in Economic Knowledge

Truth and Progress in Economic Knowledge
Author: Roger Backhouse
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 268
Release: 1997
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Backhouse (history and philosophy of economics, U. of Birmingham, England) believes in truth and progress, but defends them against postmodern skepticism by using some of the same sources it does rather than trying to return to a pre-lapsarian state. He concludes by doubting the success of the conventional division of labor in which economic theorists transmute general assumptions into hypotheses to be tested, and econometricians test those theories statistically and establish empirical generalizations. Those two functions, he says, must interact on a much more intimate level. Some of the material is revised from previous publication. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Selected Essays by Frank H. Knight, Volume 1

Selected Essays by Frank H. Knight, Volume 1
Author: Frank H. Knight
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 448
Release: 1999
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780226446950

Frank H. Knight (1885-1972) was a central figure—many say the dominant influence—in the development of the "Chicago School of Economics" at the University of Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s, where he taught future Nobel laureates Milton Friedman, James Buchanan, George Stigler, and many other notable scholars. It was Knight's embedded skepticism about the reach of economic knowledge that set the stage for the laissez-faire economics that matured at the University in the 1950s and 1960s. But as important as Knight's technical economic contributions were, he never strayed far from his broad philosophical interests and concern for the state of modern liberal democracy. Ross B. Emmett's selection of Knight's essays is the first to offer a comprehensive picture of the work of this notable social scientist over the span of his career. Included are not only Knight's most influential writings, but also a number of uncollected papers which have not previously been widely accessible. These essays illustrate Knight's views on the central debates regarding economics, social science, ethics, education, and modern liberalism. Volume 1: "What is Truth" in Economics? contains fifteen of Knight's papers up through 1940. Volume 2: Laissez Faire: Pro and Con includes fourteen of Knight's papers from 1940 through 1967, including "Socialism: The Nature of the Problem" and "The Sickness of Liberal Society." These twenty-nine essays together stand not only as a monument to one of economics' most significant and original thinkers, but will also serve as an invaluable resource for economists, philosophers, and political scientists interested in the development of the western liberal tradition.

Economy of Truth

Economy of Truth
Author: Vizi Andrei
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 9781692286255

"Highly readable and thought-provoking ... A very pleasant and creative work." ―Dr. Larry Sanger, ex-founder of Wikipedia Economy of Truth is a collection of practical maxims and reflections either designed through clever artwork or in the form of writing only. In an enjoyable and impactful manner, Vizi Andrei aims to challenge our long-held beliefs about art, education, courage, progress, happiness, intelligence, and creativity. Readers who come to this book expecting practical guidance will not be disappointed, but they will be delighted to see that such guidance is being delivered rather artistically―via short stories that read like modern poetry, beautifully accompanied by vivid illustrations. The wisdom this book permeates with comes from figures such as Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Confucius, Epicurus, Antisthenes, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Michel de Montaigne, Emil Cioran, Leo Tolstoy, Mircea Eliade, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Friedrich Nietzsche, Blaise Pascal, Arthur Schopenhauer, Luc de Clapiers but also Carlo M. Cipolla, Umberto Eco, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Alain de Botton, Rory Sutherland, or Naval Ravikant. "An urgent book ... Vizi's work is bursting with many irreverent lessons ready to help you remove the chains of modernity. This book will sharpen your thinking and help you gain clarity on a variety of crucial topics." ―Ruben Chavez, founder of ThinkGrowProsper "A well-reasoned collection of meditations ... They will contagiously make you think!" ―Luca Dellanna, author of Operational Excellence "Written in a quaint voice, this book charms the reader―mixing just the right amount of reflective self-awareness with cutting insight. For those who consider musings of great import, a pleasant stroll through Economy of Truth would be time well-spent." ―Jack Peach, teacher and traveler

McCloskey's Rhetoric

McCloskey's Rhetoric
Author: Benjamin Balak
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2005-11-25
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 113437321X

This unique book examines the use of rhetoric in economics, focusing on the work of one of the discipline's most recognizable names; Deirdre McCloskey. It analyzes her major texts and evaluates their methodological and philosophical consequences.

Economics Broadly Considered

Economics Broadly Considered
Author: Jeff E. Biddle
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2001-03-29
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134561431

Warren J. Samuels has been a prominent figure in the study of economics in the twentieth century. This book brings together essays by leading scholars in the areas of economics in which Samuels has made his most important contributions: the history of economic thought, economic methodology, and institutional and post-Keynesian economics. This work

Explorations in Economic Methodology

Explorations in Economic Methodology
Author: Roger E. Backhouse
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2006-10-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134686730

Roger Backhouse is a key figure in the field of economic methodology. Explorations in Economic Methodology both clarifies and responds to the issues raised by the literature and argues that methodology is an essential activity. Offering a constructive, but critical, response to the recent literature, this collection provides important new insights for students and researchers in economic methodology and the philosophy of science.

Philosophy of Economics

Philosophy of Economics
Author:
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 929
Release: 2012-04-23
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0080930778

Part of the Handbook of the Philosophy of Science Series edited by: Dov M. Gabbay King's College, London, UK;Paul Thagard University of Waterloo, Canada; and John Woods University of British Columbia, Canada. Philosophy of Economics investigates the foundational concepts and methods of economics, the social science that analyzes the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. This groundbreaking collection, the most thorough treatment of the philosophy of economics ever published, brings together philosophers, scientists and historians to map out the central topics in the field. The articles are divided into two groups. Chapters in the first group deal with various philosophical issues characteristic of economics in general, including realism and Lakatos, explanation and testing, modeling and mathematics, political ideology and feminist epistemology. Chapters in the second group discuss particular methods, theories and branches of economics, including forecasting and measurement, econometrics and experimentation, rational choice and agency issues, game theory and social choice, behavioral economics and public choice, geographical economics and evolutionary economics, and finally the economics of scientific knowledge. This volume serves as a detailed introduction for those new to the field as well as a rich source of new insights and potential research agendas for those already engaged with the philosophy of economics. - Provides a bridge between philosophy and current scientific findings - Encourages multi-disciplinary dialogue - Covers theory and applications

The Constitution of Knowledge

The Constitution of Knowledge
Author: Jonathan Rauch
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2021-06-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0815738870

Arming Americans to defend the truth from today's war on facts “In what could be the timeliest book of the year, Rauch aims to arm his readers to engage with reason in an age of illiberalism.” —Newsweek A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Disinformation. Trolling. Conspiracies. Social media pile-ons. Campus intolerance. On the surface, these recent additions to our daily vocabulary appear to have little in common. But together, they are driving an epistemic crisis: a multi-front challenge to America's ability to distinguish fact from fiction and elevate truth above falsehood. In 2016 Russian trolls and bots nearly drowned the truth in a flood of fake news and conspiracy theories, and Donald Trump and his troll armies continued to do the same. Social media companies struggled to keep up with a flood of falsehoods, and too often didn't even seem to try. Experts and some public officials began wondering if society was losing its grip on truth itself. Meanwhile, another new phenomenon appeared: “cancel culture.” At the push of a button, those armed with a cellphone could gang up by the thousands on anyone who ran afoul of their sanctimony. In this pathbreaking book, Jonathan Rauch reaches back to the parallel eighteenth-century developments of liberal democracy and science to explain what he calls the “Constitution of Knowledge”—our social system for turning disagreement into truth. By explicating the Constitution of Knowledge and probing the war on reality, Rauch arms defenders of truth with a clearer understanding of what they must protect, why they must do—and how they can do it. His book is a sweeping and readable description of how every American can help defend objective truth and free inquiry from threats as far away as Russia and as close as the cellphone.