Far from a Nihilistic Crowd: The Theoretical Contribution of Radical Subjectivist Austrian Economics.

Review of Austrian Economics, 2011, vol. 24: 185-98

20 Pages Posted: 1 Dec 2014

Date Written: May 2010

Abstract

This paper compares and contrasts the hermeneutic turn advocated by Don Lavoie in this 1985 essay on The Interpretive Dimension of Economics with the ontological turn that was gathering momentum amongst other groups of heterodox economists at about the same time. It is argued that an explicit focus on ontological issues can complement and support the ‘interpretive turn’, most notably by helping to show that the charge of nihilism that are sometimes levelled against Lavoie and his followers is unwarranted. The argument is illustrated by a case study of one of the inspirations of, and contributors to, Lavoie’s project, namely Ludwig Lachmann.

Keywords: Austrian economics, hermeneutics, social order, nihilism, social ontology, emergence, Ludwig Lachmann, Don Lavoie.

JEL Classification: B00, B19, B25, B31, B41

Suggested Citation

Lewis, Paul Andrew, Far from a Nihilistic Crowd: The Theoretical Contribution of Radical Subjectivist Austrian Economics. (May 2010). Review of Austrian Economics, 2011, vol. 24: 185-98, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2532104

Paul Andrew Lewis (Contact Author)

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