Rereading Robbins Nature and Significance of Economic Science. The First chapters are so, so good. The last chapter, though, has some problems. Especially the very last pages, in which Robbins contradicts himself on the the normative status of economics. In fact, I dont understand how could he reconcile his previous arguments on the incompatibility between is and ought with the following claim: This, then, is a further sense in which Economics can be truly said to assume rationality in human society. It makes no pretence, as has been alleged so often, that action is necessarily rational in the sense that the ends pursued are not mutually incon- sistent. There is nothing in its generalisations which necessarily implies reflective deliberation in ultimate valuation. It relies upon no assumption that indi- viduals will always act rationally. But it does depend for its practical raison detre upon the assumption that it is desirable that they should do so. It does assume that, within the bounds of necessity, it is desir- able to choose ends which can be achieved harmoniously. (p. 157)
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 19:25:01 +0000
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