经济学的性质与哲学视角审视下的经济学——一个基于经济思想史的理论回顾与展望

The Nature of Economics in a Perspective of Philosophy

基于对经济思想史上一些相关文献的理论回顾，本文认为，在中国经济与中国经济学理论互动演变的当下格局中，是对经济学的性质、意义、任务以及它到底是一门什么样的学问这样一些元经济学问题进行理论反思和讨论的时候了。第二小节的文献追溯发现，在经济学说史上，伴随着由“政治经济学”向“经济学”的转变，经济学家们对经济学的本质和任务的理解也发生了很大变化。第三小节讨论了经济学能否成为一门价值中立的科学问题。研究发现，任何经济学派的理论观点都会潜含着某些价值判断和伦理原则在其中，经济学家作为一个“学术人”所面临的问题，首先是如何透过自己的文化信念和价值观，去发现人类社会中的某些“自然秩序”。第四小节讨论了经济学能否成为像物理学、化学等自然科学那样一种高度形式化的“精密科学”这一问题，并对目前主流经济学中流行的唯科学主义的研究偏向做了一些反思性的评论。本文最后所得出的结论是：为了中国的理论经济学在未来的健康成长，应该鼓励不同经济学流派和研究路径之间的竞争、对话和多元化发展。

Based on a review of relevant literature in the history of economic thought, this paper shows that it is time to make some reflections on the nature, role and significance of economics in the current situation of the dynamic growth of the Chinese economy and the theoretical economics in China. Section Two finds that along with transformation from “political economy” to “economics”, economists＇ understanding of the nature and role of economics also changed. Section Three discusses the question whether economics could become a social science of value-free or not and finds that any school in history of economic thought may have some value judgment and ethical foundation in its theoretical discourse. As a result, the top priority for economists is to try to find the “natural order” or “providence” in human economic and social reality. Section Four discusses the possibility whether economics could become a rigorous science like physics, chemistry and many other highly formalized natural sciences. It also makes some reflection on the propensity of scientism of the mainstream economists. Section Five reaches the conclusion that for the healthy growth of economic theory in China, competitions and dialogues between different schools and thus pluralism in economics should be encouraged.