实证主义与经济思想史

Of Positivism and the History of Economic Thought

在20世纪中叶,经济学家的世界观和实践受到了实证主义修辞的深刻影响。如今,这种影响已经大大减弱,但我们仍然可以从许多经济学家对经济思想史的态度中发现其痕迹。本文追溯了实证主义在经济学中的影响,认为经济思想史对于经济学本科教学和研究生培养具有重要意义,应重新将其纳入经济学课程。最后,本文记录了近来一些令人鼓舞的变化。

The rhetoric of positivism had a profound effect on the worldview and practice of economists in the middle of the last century.Though this influence has greatly diminished,it still may be found in the attitude of many economists toward the history of their discipline.This article traces the effects of positivism in economics and then argues that the history of economics is a critical component of both the undergraduate teaching and the graduate training of economists,and that as such,it should be reintroduced into the economics curriculum.It concludes by documenting some recent hopeful signs of change.