This original book brings together some of the world's leading critics of economics orthodoxy to debate Lawson's contribution to the economics literature. The debate centres on ontology, which means enquiry into the nature of what exists, and in this collection scholars such as Bruce Caldwell, John Davis and Geoffrey Hodgson present their thoughtful criticisms of Lawson's work while Lawson himself presents his reactions. Of course many social scientists disagree with him, but Lawson's arguments are so powerful that few economists now feel that his case can be ignored.Bringing Lawson head-to-head with eleven of his most capable critics, this is a book of intellectual drama. More than that, it is a collection of fine minds interacting with each other and being changed by the process. This book is particularly useful for students and researchers concerned primarily with methodology and future development of economics. It is also relevant to the concerns of philosophers of science and to all social scientists interested in methodological issues.
Foreword by Tony Lawson
Introduction Lawson's reorientation by Edward Fullbrook 1
1 Some comments on Lawson's Reorienting Economics: same facts, different conclusions by Bruce Caldwell 13
2 History, causal explanation and "basic economic reasoning": reply to Caldwell by Tony Lawson 20
3 Critical realism in economics: a different view by Bjorn-Ivar Davidsen 40
4 Underlabouring for substantive theorising: reply to Davidsen by Tony Lawson 58
5 The nature of heterodox economics by John B. Davis 83
6 Heterodox economics and pluralism: reply to Davis by Tony Lawson 93
7 Reorienting economics through triangulation of methods by Paul Downward and Andrew Mearman 130
8 Triangulation and social research: reply to Downward and Mearman by Tony Lawson 142
9 Irrelevance and ideology by Bernard Guerrien 158
10 The mainstream orientation and ideology: reply to Guerrien by Tony Lawson 162
11 On the problem of formalism in economics by Geoffrey M. Hodgson 175
12 On the nature and roles of formalism in economics: reply to Hodgson by Tony Lawson 189
13 Finding a critical pragmatism in Reorienting Economics by Bruce R. Mcfarling 232
14 Ontology or epistemology? Reply to McFarling by Tony Lawson 240
15 (Un)real criticism by David F. Ruccio 263
16 Ontology and postmodernism: reply to Ruccio by Tony Lawson 275
17 Feminism and realism: a contested relationship by Irene Van Staveren 297
18 Feminism, realism and essentialism: reply to van Staveren by Tony Lawson 311
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