Economics as Moral Science investigates the problem of the ethical neutrality of "mainstream" economic theory within the context of the methodology of economics as a science. Against the conventional wisdom, the author argues that there are serious moral presuppositions to the theory, but that economics could still count as a scientific or rational form of inquiry. The basic questions addressed - the ethical implications of economics, its status as a scientific mode of theory-construction, and the relation between these factors - are absolutely fundamental ones for an understanding of contemporary economics, the philosophy of the human sciences, and our current market culture. Moreover, the study provides a thorough philosophical analysis of the critical issues at stake from the inside, from the credible perspective of a particular, but foundational economic theory - the neoclassical theory of rational choice.

Klappentext

Economics as Moral Science investigates the problem of the ethical neutrality of "mainstream" economic theory within the context of the methodology of economics as a science. Against the conventional wisdom, the author argues that there are serious moral presuppositions to the theory, but that economics could still count as a scientific or rational form of inquiry. The basic questions addressed - the ethical implications of economics, its status as a scientific mode of theory-construction, and the relation between these factors - are absolutely fundamental ones for an understanding of contemporary economics, the philosophy of the human sciences, and our current market culture. Moreover, the study provides a thorough philosophical analysis of the critical issues at stake from the inside, from the credible perspective of a particular, but foundational economic theory - the neoclassical theory of rational choice.

Inhalt
1 Introduction.- 2 Theory-Construction in Economic Science.- 3 Rationality, Values, and Economic Theory.- 4 The Intransigence of Evaluative Concepts.- 5 The Ethical Content of Formal Structures.- 6 Teleology and Utilitarian Economics.- 7 Functionalism and the Systems Approach.- 8 Reasons, Causes, and Economic Methodology.- 9 Justification, Obligation and Consumer Motivation.- 10 The Problems Related.- 11 Essential Statements and Holistic Theory.- 12 Economic Uncertainty and Logical Structure.- 13 Economic Uncertainty and Consumer Autonomy.- 14 From Normative Theory to Empirical Science.- 15 Neo-classical Economics and Scientific Utopias.- 16 Neo-classical Economics and the Rational Justifiability of Moral Principles.- 17 Conclusion.- Notes.- References.