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ECONOMICS: HISTORY, DOCTRINE, SCIENCE, ART
Author(s) -
Jürg Niehans
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
kyklos
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.766
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1467-6435
pISSN - 0023-5962
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6435.1981.tb01181.x
Subject(s) - scientific discovery , doctrine , economic science , economic methodology , process (computing) , task (project management) , economics , positive economics , epistemology , philosophy , political science , computer science , law , management , psychology , classical economics , philosophy education , operating system , cognitive science
SUMMARY Economics tries to explain unique chains of historical events. Economic doctrines, however, are mostly pieces of logics with few references to testable propositions. However, to criticize this lack of ‘testable hypotheses’ is a misapplication of P opper 's ideas. History being unique, empirical propositions in economics have to be tailored to individual cases. Economic doctrines, like a chess handbook, are a collection of prefabricated elements promising to be helpful in this task. Economic science is a process of continuous discovery and thus, like all scientific discovery, to large extent an art.