SCIENCESDE LA SOCIÉTÉ- N° 55 - février 2002
Lalégitimation du discours économique
Dossiercoordonné par Bernars Maris, Univ. Paris 8
Bernard Maris,Introduction
Jerôme Lallement, In search of the subject matter of economics
Marion Fourcade-Gourinchas, Economics and its discourse: national traditions anduniversal science
Bernard Maurin,The self-legitimizationof economics by means of physic. The problem of belief in science
Damien Broussolle,How much credibilitycan the law of demand be granted ?
Michel Rosier,The self-legitimatizationof classical theories. Max U versus Ad Hoc
Christophe Lavialle,Legitimacy of classicalspeech and legitimation of the GeneralTheory. Keynes’ pragmatist epistemology
Bernard Maris,Legitimation, auto-legitimation,expert's discourse and scientific discourse
Gilles Dostaler,Speech and strategyof persuasion in Keynes
André Cartapanis, Michel Rainelli, The WTO and the drafting of an international financeplan.About politics and rules of law in new international regulations
Corinne Gobin,European Union programmediscourse. From the privatisation of the economy to the privatisationof politics
Jean-Pierre Boissin, Jean-Claude Castagnos,Gilles Guieu,Scientific recognition:aspects of the problem and instrumentation
Philippe Jeannin,Legitimizing Frenchresearch in economics
Jérôme Lallement, Insearch of the subject matter of economics
Abstract
The legitimization of economic discoursebegins with the definition of economics. Thisdefinition contributesto the institution of a specific field of phenomena that willbe the subject of specific knowledge : political economy.After reviewing the commonly accepted definitions of economics,it will be shown that the subject of economics is not immediatelyobvious and does not come naturally - on the contrary, it is artificiallyconstructed. The only way to provide a definition of economicsis to draw boundaries between economic phenomena and other socialphenomena. It is then shown that these boundaries are unstableand historically relative.
Key words : political economy, economic rhetoric,formal definition, substantive definition, Say.
Marion Fourcade-Gourinchas,Economics and its discourse:national traditions and universal science
Abstract
This paper presents an historicalanalysis of the creation of a legitimate field of knowledge inpolitical economics in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuriesin four countries: Germany, Britain, United States, and France.For each of these countries different institutional and intellectualforms of economic knowledge are described and it appears thatwhat counts as economic knowledge –and what being an economistmeans— has quite different meanings in each case. Drawingon comparative institutional approaches, theidentity of each nationaleconomics profession is related to the country’s politicalinstitutions and cultures.
Key words : economics,political economy, political culture, profession comparison.
Bernard Maurin, The self-legitimizationof economics by means of physic. The problem of belief in science
Abstract
According to P. Mirowski, threekey concepts have favored the expansion of occidental science,namely body, motion and value, which concepts maintain the necessarymetaphorical links between one another. Yet, if from a culturalstandpoint these concepts act symmetrically for the constructionof theories, from a scientific point of view only physics canbe granted the status of science: (neo-classical) economics hasto assert its self-legitimacy as social physics. Why has sucha questionable economic theory fostered so many believers ? Toexplain this we will compare Mirowki’s thesis with P. Bourdieu’snotion of "illusio. T. Kuhn’s notion of paradigmhas a few things in common with that of "illusio",but methodologically the link with concrete reality incites usto state that there is a basic difference between social sciencesand natural sciences. Now doesn’t this act of self-legitimizationas social physics enable economics to become the " theology" of a secularized world ?
Key words : historyof economic thought, relationships between economics and physics,methodology, epistemological obstacle, paradigm, illusio, preconception.
Damien Broussolle,How much credibility can the law of demand be granted ?
Abstract
First of all, the paper recallsthe real meanings of the law of demand, showing that itsconsequencesare ambiguous. Secondly the article scrutinises the attempts madeto overcome the indeterminacy, explaining why they are not conclusive.Thearticlethen examines how the theory of demand can be testedand refers to associated empirical studies. The fourth part showshow some text books present the law of demand, and why they arenot very convincing. Finally the author suggests modifying theway the law ofdemand isexposed.
Key words : methodology,microeconomics, demand theory.
Michel Rosier, Theself-legitimatization of classical theories.Max U versus Ad Hoc
Abstract
The neoclassicals affirm the principlethat an economic theory should provide an intentional representationof the behavior of agents. Based on this, they aspire to legitimatizetheir own theories which respect this principle and condemn othertheories as " ad hoc " because they do not respect it.However, an analysis of the cognitive activity of an agent showsthat an entirely intentional representation of his behavior islogically impossible. Therefore the neoclassicals are confrontedwith a tragic dilemma : either they respect their principle inwhich case they cannot elaborate theories or they reject theirprinciple in which case nothing distinguishes their theories.
Key words : neoclassicaltheories, intentionality, cognitive activity.
Christophe Lavialle, Legitimacyof classical speech and legitimation of the GeneralTheory. Keynes’ pragmatist epistemology
Abstract
The question of the relationshipbetween the General Theory of Maynard Keynes and the classicaltheory to which he intended to oppose it, has been, and continuesto be, the purpose of many debates, which to some extent havestructured the history of the macroeconomic thought. In this article,we want to see in Keynes’ endeavour to set his GeneralTheory apart from the classical theory, and to cross swordswith it, the mark of an original conception of the criteria oflegitimacy of an economic discourse, and the legitimation an alternativeone. In fact, this design appears influenced by some kind of philosophicalpragmatism linked both to the philosophy of " language games of the " second Wittgenstein as well as to the pragmatistAnglo-Saxon philosophy.
Key words : Keynes,General Theory, classical theory, pragmatist Anglo-Saxonphilosophy, Wittgenstein.
Bernard Maris, Legitimation, auto-legitimation, expert's discourseand scientific discourse
Abstract
Just as every science does, economicslegitimate themselves. Breaking the "auto legitimizationcircle", means coming back to the origin of scientific economicswhich develop in the shade of power. Power is confronted withpolitical opinion. But the confronta-tion between economics andopinion occurs via the expert’s discourse which does notallow for the disclaiming of any truth by opinion. Economics,although dominated by political power, can remain independentof both economic and political reality.
Key words : power,opinion, prescriptivism, expertise
Gilles Dostaler, Speech and strategy of persuasion in Keynes
Abstract
John Maynard Keynes worked out anew economic analysis which served to justify the interventionistpolicies associated with his name. But before being an economictheoretician, Keynes defined himself as a publicist, concernedto persuade his fellow citizens of the urgent necessity to carryout transformations essential to avoid the breakdown of civiliza-tion.In order to realize this aim, he used language and all the artificesof rhetoric with great skill. This paper shows how Keynes becamea master of this art. We examine successively how Keynes usedspoken language and written language, before showing how the formsof language he utilized are closely linked to the content of hismessage and to the world view that he shared with his Bloomsburyfriends.
Key words : Keynes,speech, rhetoric, language, persuasion, Bloomsbury.
André Cartapanis, Michel Rainelli,The WTO and the drafting of an internationalfinance plan.About politics and rules of law in new internationalregulations
Abstract
The international regulations implementedby the WTO in commercial disputes or projected by IMF in the draftingof a new international finance system cannot be legitimized onthe grounds of neo-liberal thought which excludes the cases needinga solution. These international regulations have to be analyzedas pragmatic and discretionary compromises, founded on the ruleof law and on political choices.
Key words : WTO,commercial disputes, IMF, international finance structuring, neo-liberalism
Corinne Gobin, European Union programme discourse. From the privatisationof the economy to the privatisation of politics
Abstract
The establishment of the InternalMarket by the European political power since 1986 has today achieveda radical transformation of political imagery gradually spreadingto each national framework. In fact the liberal conservative revolutionaffects not only the economic field but a lexical analysis ofthe major institutional discourse of the EU shows that the stakesare higher and that this revolution leads to the control of thesocial, political and cul-tural collective relationships by prevailingprivate business forces. So the concept of demo-cracy is deeplyreassessed and threatened.
Key words : Europeanintegration, political and economic argumentation, discourse analysis
Jean-Pierre Boissin, Jean-Claude Castagnos,Gilles Guieu, Scientificrecognition: aspects of the problem and instrumentation
Abstract
The subject of the legitimacy andthe recognition of scientific activity raises various difficultiesspecifically ones dealing with the legal structure of a society.The first part of the article highlights facts related to theproblem and offers a framework of analysis for the aspects tobe taken into consideration. The second part limits the inquiriesto the methodo-logical approach which the internal recognitionof a discipline can rely on. The diagnosis is influenced by thelevel of sophistication of analysis instruments.
Key words : scientificlegitimacy, scientific recognition, mentioning authors, quotedauthors, scientometrics.
Philippe Jeannin, Legitimizing French research in economics
Abstract
Quantitatively evaluating Frenchresearch in economics is a way of legitimizing it. Inorderto carryout this evaluation while limiting it to research published inperiodicals, it is necessary to have a list of periodicals consideredto be scientific by the community of economists. This articleputs forward a method already used in other fields.
Key words : France,library science, economy, evaluation, legitimization, legitimacy,research, periodicals, economics, scientometrics