Economics and Social Ontology in Cambridge

TY - JOUR

T1 - Economics and Social Ontology in Cambridge

AU - Slade-Caffarel, Yannick

PY - 2022/12

Y1 - 2022/12

N2 - Cambridge Social Ontology is among the longest running continuous research projects in economics and philosophy. Building on a critique of the modern mainstream of economics and its insistence on the use of mathematical modelling, the project emphasises the importance of social ontology – the study of the nature and basic structure of social reality – for both economics and the social sciences more generally. In this paper, I explore the context in which this project has developed. I begin with a discussion of the history of the project and its development through meetings of the Cambridge Realist Workshop and, more recently, the Cambridge Social Ontology Group. I then explore the relationship between Cambridge Social Ontology and two different philosophical approaches, critical realism – most notably the work of Roy Bhaskar – as well as with analytic approaches to social ontology and, most importantly, the work of John Searle.

AB - Cambridge Social Ontology is among the longest running continuous research projects in economics and philosophy. Building on a critique of the modern mainstream of economics and its insistence on the use of mathematical modelling, the project emphasises the importance of social ontology – the study of the nature and basic structure of social reality – for both economics and the social sciences more generally. In this paper, I explore the context in which this project has developed. I begin with a discussion of the history of the project and its development through meetings of the Cambridge Realist Workshop and, more recently, the Cambridge Social Ontology Group. I then explore the relationship between Cambridge Social Ontology and two different philosophical approaches, critical realism – most notably the work of Roy Bhaskar – as well as with analytic approaches to social ontology and, most importantly, the work of John Searle.

KW - Social Ontology

KW - Heterodox economics

KW - Critical realism

KW - Social positioning

U2 - 10.53242/syzetesis/44

DO - 10.53242/syzetesis/44

M3 - Article

SN - 1974-5044

VL - IX

SP - 313

EP - 330

JO - Syzetesis

JF - Syzetesis

ER -