Theoretical and Practical Reason in Economics
Capacities and Capabilities
1st Edition
Published on 26. September 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
IX, 109 pages
978-94-007-5563-5 (ISBN)
Description
The aim of the book is to argue for the restoration of theoretical and practical reason to economics. It presents Nancy Cartwright and Amartya Sen's ideas as cases of this restoration and sees Aristotle as an influence on their thought. It looks at how we can use these ideas to develop a valuable understanding of practical reason for solving concrete problems in science and society. Cartwright's capacities are real causes of events. Sen's capabilities are the human person's freedoms or possibilities. They relate these concepts to Aristotelian concepts. This suggests that these concepts can be combined. Sen's capabilities are Cartwright's capacities in the human realm; capabilities are real causes of events in economic life. Institutions allow us to deliberate on and guide our decisions about capabilities, through the use of practical reason. Institutions thus embody practical reason and infuse certain predictability into economic action. The book presents a case study: the UNDP's HDI.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Dordrecht
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Research
Illustrations
IX, 109 p.
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 7 mm
Weight
195 gr
ISBN-13
978-94-007-5563-5 (9789400755635)
DOI
10.1007/978-94-007-5564-2
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2012
1st Edition
Springer
€50.28
Available for download
Person
Ricardo F. Crespo is Professor of Philosophy of Economics at IAE, Universidad Austral, and Researcher at the Argentine Council of Scientific Research. He is a graduate in economics and philosophy and earned a Ph. D. in Philosophy (Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina) and another in Economics (University of Amsterdam). He has extensively published articles and chapter books on his research topics. Recent publications of him include articles in Synthese, the Journal of Institutional Economics, Foundations of Science, Cambridge Journal of Economics, and the Journal of Applied Economics. His last book is The Nature and Method of Economic Sciences. Evidence, Causality, and Ends (Routledge, London, 2020). His current research interests include explanation in the social sciences, economic rationality, and ethics in economics.
Content
Table of contents.- Summary.- Preface.- Chapter I: Introduction.- Chapter II: Nancy Cartwright, Capacities and Nomological Machines: The Role of Theoretical Reason in Science.- Chapter III: Sen's Capability Approach: The Role of Practical Reason in Social Science.- Chapter IV: The Contributions of Aristotle's Thought to the Capability Approach.- Chapter V: Socio-Economic Machines and Practical Models of Development: The Role of the Human Development Index.- Chapter VI: Conclusion: Theoretical and Practical Reason in Economics.