On Paradigms, Theories and Models

Haider Khan ()

No CIRJE-F-156, CIRJE F-Series from CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo

Abstract: The purpose of this brief note is to alert the reader to the existing confusing state of affairs in the social sciences regarding the terms paradigm, theories and models, trace a few of the causes, and offer some tentative distinctions that may make our discourses a bit clearer. Since the word paradigm is used in so many different ways, it is suggested that we avoid using this term unless necessary in a particular context. For most ordinary scientific discourse and debate,the terms theories and models are sufficient. As shown in this paper, they are terms that can be defined clearly, and used to raise relevant questions about choice among different theories and models. From this perspective, paradigm seems to be an example of the traps that beset a careless user of ordinary language. Wittgenstein was the most important modern philosopher to point this out in general. To use a somewhat Wittgensteinian language, paradigm is an example of a language game that has somewhere gone awry. But we still have the language games of models and theories that are eminently serviceable for the social science discourses.

Pages: 11 pages
Date: 2002-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hpe
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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