Economic Models: Isolated Representations or Fictional Constructions? Leonardo IVAROLA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/endoxa.35.2015.13663Keywords:
modelos económicos, aislamiento teorético, construcción ficticia, procesos socioeconómicosAbstract
In modern philosophy of economics there are two main positions in relation to the nature and functioning of economic models: models as isolated representations and models as fictional but credible constructions. Both positions are examined in this paper and contrasted with what I will call "expectation-based socioeconomic processes." I will show that these processes are not compatible with a mechanistic logic or a logic of stable causal factors, but that they are compatible with the logic of possibility trees. Because of this, I will argue that - at least in most cases - economic models should not be interpreted as representations of isolated mechanisms or capacities, but as structures which, if they existed in the real world, would be able to generate tendencies. Although the present topic is limited to the analysis of economic models, its implications may be extended to different branches of the social sciences.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
The authors who publish in this journal must agree to the following terms:
- The authors hold author’s rights and guarantee the journal the right to be the first to publish the work as well as the Creative Commons Attribution License which allows others to share the work as long as they acknowledge the authorship of the work and its initial publication in this journal.
- The authors can establish, on their own, additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (for example, placing it in an institutional repository or publishing it in a book), always acknowledging the initial publication in this journal.
- The authors are allowed and encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (for example, in institutional repositories or on their own webpages) before and during the submission process, as this can give rise to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and increased citing of the works published (See The Effect of Open Access).
