2010 Spring PHIL 145-01
Bulletin Course Description Economics as target discipline for philosophy of science. How economists investigate the economy; how economics produces knowledge/explanation/prediction/understanding. Classic contributions to economic methodology (John Stuart Mill, John Neville Keynes, Milton Friedman) & to Philosophy of Science (Carl Hempel, Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, Imré Lakatos) with case studies of applications to economic problems. Also recent topics at intersection of Philosophy & Economics (models, causality, reductionism, realism).
(Instructor named in bulletin description above may not be current. For current instructor, see listing below.)
Title PHILOSOPHY OF ECONOMICS Department PHIL Course Number 2010 Spring 145 Section Number 01 Primary Instructor Hoover,Kevin D. Prerequisites Prerequisites: either one course in philosophy and one course in economics; or Economics 105D, 110D, or 139D; or consent of instructor. Instructors: Course Homepage www.econ.duke.edu/~kdh9/Courses/Phil%20145-Econ%20137/Phil145CourseWebPage.html
Synopsis of course content
Economic methodology tries to make sense of what economists do when they investigate the economy. It is closely related to the philosophy of science, which is concerned with how science produces knowledge, explanation, prediction, and understanding. In this course, which will be taught in a seminar format, we will study economic methodology and the philosophy of science with a focus on its applications to economics. We will start with some classic contributions – e.g., those of John Stuart Mill, John Neville Keynes, and Milton Friedman to economic methodology and those of Carl Hempel, Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, and Imré Lakatos to the philosophy of science with case studies of their applications to economic problems. We will also consider a variety of recent topics at the intersection of philosophy and economics, such as models, causality, reductionism, and realism.
Textbooks
Extensive readings will be available online.
Assignments
Weekly short writing assignments meant to bring focus to the readings and to prepare students for class discussion.
Exams
None.
Term Papers
There will be four more substantial analytical papers.
Grade to be based on
Weekly assignments 30%; analytical papers 40%; class discussion 30%.
Additional Information
The class will be taught in a seminar format emphasizing close reading and discussion of the readings.
