Reorienting Economics (Economics As Social Theory Series)

This eagerly anticipated new book from Tony Lawson contends that economics can profit from a more explicit concern with ontology (enquiry into the nature of existence) than has been its custom. By admitting that economics is not exactly a picture of health at the moment, Lawson hopes that we can move away from the bafflingly intransigent belief that economics is at its core reliant upon mathematical modelling. This maths-envy is the reason why economics is in a state of such disarray. Far from being a polemic against the mainstream, this excellent new book is concerned that if economics is to be saved from itself then there must be a realistic dialogue between the classical heterodox fields. Of interest to philosophers, sociologists and social scientists as well as economists, this comprehensive, logical book is a vital contribution to an important debate. Contemporary economics is characterized by a mismatch between its methods of analysis and the nature of the world it seeks to interpret. Despite regular economic crises and ongoing critique of the discipline, the drift from political economy into applied mathematics appears to continue unabated. In this book, Tony Lawson advocates a relignment of economics with social reality.In analyzing mainstream economists'misplaced universality, the author places ontology at the heart of a reoriented future in which economics is integrated within the wider human and social sciences.

Building upon and refining ideas introduced in his 1997 text, Economics and Reality, Lawson (economics and politics, U. of Cambridge) critically examines the current state of the discipline of economics. He challenges the dominance of the formalistic and rationalistic approach to modern economics and argues for a pluralistic discipline that is more accommodating of ontological theorizing and critical thinking. Distributed in the U.S. by Taylor & Francis. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This volume from Tony Lawson contends that economics can profit from a more explicit concern with ontology (enquiry into the nature of existence) than has been its custom