The question of mathematical social theory revisited: Some methodological considerations |
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Authors: | Milan Zafirovski |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Sociology at the University of North Texas, USA |
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Abstract: | Methodologically, the most advanced social science discipline is considered economics, especially its neoclassical version.
A number of practitioners in the other social sciences, especially sociology and political science, perceive economics as
a scientific exemplar in methodological (and theoretical) terms. This methodological exemplar has been, particularly in the
last decades, attempted to emulate by some of these social scientists. The outcome of this emulation, by adopting and extending
its methods, of neoclassical economics in parts (but not all) of sociology, political science, and elsewhere has been rational
choice theory as a general social paradigm. This paper tries to show that many misapplications of the methodology of neoclassical
economics in rational choice theory have ensued from such methodological emulation. That neoclassical economics does not necessarily
contain or lead to a mathematical rational choice model is the core argument of this paper. The paper fills in a gap created
by the current literature’s focus on the methodological bases of mathematical rational choice theory in neoclassical economics. |
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