经济学建构思想的纷争与“科学主义”的渊源

Disputes of Economics Construction and Origin of Scientism

经济理论的建构离不开恰当工具的选择,系统的实证主义研究方法的大规模运用是促使经济学现代转型的最重大事件。但在最近三十年里,这种研究方法的“科学化”趋势似乎正在使方法论取代本体论本身、并促使研究向混淆目的与手段关系方向的轨道上发展。本文认为,工具发展水平的高低只是推动理论研究的必要条件,但并不构成其充分条件。经济理论发展的建构基础从本质上说仍然源于人的主观需要和价值标准与客观事实的结合,问题驱动而不是工具驱动才是经济学发展的最根本动力。规范主义方法是研究中不可或缺的重要方法,那种将实证主义无限拔高,并与规范主义进行对立的思想是犯了“科学主义”的错误。

Extensive use of positivism in research methodology helped the transformation of modern economics. However, during the last three decades, the “scientism” trend in economics seems to replace the role of ontology and confuse the means and the end. This article holds that instrumentality can only serve as the prerequisite but not sufficiency. The foundation of economic theory development is derived from the integration of the subjective need and value of human being and the impersonal facts. The essential drive of economics lies in problem motivation instead of instrumental motivation. Those who place positivism a higher status then normative and exclude the latter may have scientism error.