Mentalism Versus Behaviourism in Economics: A Philosophy-of-Science Perspective

Franz Dietrich and Christian List
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Christian List: LSE - London School of Economics and Political Science

Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) from HAL

Abstract: Behaviourism is the view that preferences, beliefs, and other mental states in social-scientific theories are nothing but constructs re-describing people's behaviour. Mentalism is the view that they capture real phenomena, on a par with the unobservables in science, such as electrons and electromagnetic fields. While behaviourism has gone out of fashion in psychology, it remains influential in economics, especially in 'revealed preference' theory. We defend mentalism in economics, construed as a positive science, and show that it fits best scientific practice. We distinguish mentalism from, and reject, the radical neuroeconomic view that behaviour should be explained in terms of brain processes, as distinct from mental states.

Keywords: Mentalism; behaviourism; revealed preference; decision theory; scientific realism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-evo, nep-pke and nep-upt
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-01249632v1
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

Published in Economics and Philosophy, 2016, 32 (2), pp.249-281

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Related works:
Journal Article: MENTALISM VERSUS BEHAVIOURISM IN ECONOMICS: A PHILOSOPHY-OF-SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE (2016)
Working Paper: Mentalism versus behaviourism in economics: a philosophy-of-science perspective (2016)
Working Paper: Mentalism Versus Behaviourism in Economics: A Philosophy-of-Science Perspective (2016)
Working Paper: Mentalism Versus Behaviourism in Economics: A Philosophy-of-Science Perspective (2016)
Working Paper: Mentalism versus behaviourism in economics: a philosophy-of-science perspective (2012)
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