Year: 2016
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis offers a new justification and interpretation of “pluralism in economics”\nand discusses how it can be implemented. Calls for pluralism reflect discontent with\nthe exclusive dominance of one approach in economics. This perceived monism\nentails twofold oppression of contesting theories with a legitimate claim to truth and\nof the academics that promote them. A doctrine of pluralism thus has to satisfy both\nan epistemological and a moral condition. However, the literature on pluralism in\neconomics either overly associates pluralism with heterodox economics or fails to\nprovide sufficient epistemological and institutional recommendations. The thesis\nseeks to abstract from the content of current orthodox and heterodox theory in order\nto give a consistent interpretation of pluralism as a stable and lasting doctrine. Firstly,\ngiven epistemic uncertainty, pluralism is required for the advancement of knowledge,\nthe consequences of which are drawn by application of Mill’s arguments for the\nliberty of thought and discussion and their further development in Feyerabend’s\nmethodological pluralism. Secondly, the doctrine must secure the right of all\nacademics to pursue truth in the ways they deem fit. Drawing on Habermas’ theory of\ncommunicative rationality and Longino’s norms for scientific discourse, ideal\nconditions for pluralist scientific exchange are delineated. Reviewing sociological\nevidence, it is shown that there is a well-organized hierarchical system in the\ndiscipline that reinforces monism through education, journals, hiring/promotion and\nresearch funding. Given these constraints, the calls for pluralism amount to a call for\nliberal education reform in economics, in which the aim is to foster the intellectual\ndevelopment of students. Pluralism is not about accommodating a range of\napproaches; pluralism ensures an environment that yields academics capable of truth pursuit\nin a world of uncertain knowledge. However, intricate links between\neconomics and power relations in society may inhibit its feasibility.
Author: Roman Linneberg Eliassen
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2586797829