“理性经济人”与主流经济理论中的假设问题

理性经济人假设是现代西方主流经济理论的基本行为假设和理论体系的逻辑出发点,但这一假设本身是非现实的,因而遭到种种质疑。长期以来争论各方含混了实际行为、行为模式和行为假设这三个概念,以致实际上未能触及实质性问题,即经济理论假设的现实性问题。弗里德曼首次触及该实质问题,但他提出的假设不相关性观点却是站不住脚的。假设是经济理论的一个必要构件,它在经济理论中所起的作用依具体情形不同而相应不同,并不能笼统地谈论假设的现实性问题。由此得出,理性经济人假设本质上属于一种特殊的行为假设,它与经济理论不可能是不相关的。西方主流经济理论迄今未能解决理性经济人假设所包含的方法论问题,却一直不假思索地还在不自觉地沿用着假设不相关性观点。

On the Issue of Rational Economic Man and Theoretical Assumptions in the Mainstream Economics

The rational economic man assumption constitutes the common behavior assumption and the logical departure of the mainstream economics.Due to the fact that the assumption is obviously based on non-reality,it has been criticized and thus stirred up many debates in the past.These debates,however,had not yet touched the core issue until Milton Friedman who pointed out that the core issue is the reality problem of assumptions in economic theory by proposed his famous thesis,i.e.,irrelevancy of assumption.It may ...