Of Positivism and the History of Economic Thought

Bruce Caldwell

No 2012-09, Center for the History of Political Economy Working Paper Series from Center for the History of Political Economy

Abstract: The rhetoric of positivism had a profound effect on the worldview and practice of economists in the middle of the last century. Though this influence has greatly diminished, it still may be found in the attitude of many economists towards the history of their discipline. This paper traces the effects of positivism in economics, then argues that the history of economics is a critical component of both the undergraduate teaching and the graduate training of economists, and that as such, it should be reintroduced into the economics curriculum. It concludes by documenting some recent hopeful signs of change.

Keywords: positivism; history of economic thought; history of economics; economic methodology; undergraduate education; graduate education; Hayek (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A11 A12 A22 A23 B0 B1 B2 B3 B4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39
Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hec:heccee:2012-9

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