On the Lakatosian apple of discord in the history and methodology of economics

Abstract

While economic methodologists seem to be increasingly dissatisfied with Lakatos's criteria of appraisal, many (internalist) historians of economic thought continue to rely on typically Lakatosian categories in order to identify portions of economic analysis whose historical development is to be 'rationally' reconstructed. This historiographic approach, however, prevents economists from realizing that Lakatosian novel facts may be 'new' not only because previously unknown, but even because previously inexistent. To deny this possibility is tantamount to believing in an incredibly strong version. of methodological monism according to which social sciences deal with a subject-matter as immutable over time as that of natural science.

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