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SEE CAPS BELOW.  WARREN SAMUELS 
 
Pat Gunning wrote: 
 
> Mohammad, a field of this type is more likely to be a subdiscipline of 
sociology than a subdiscipline of economics. So far as I know, it has no 
status in economics departments and no economists, as such, would be 
prepared to offer such a course. 
> 
AHA, WHAT HAS STATUS, AND ITS DETERMINATION, IS PART OF THE PROBLEM OF ANY ECONOMIC
SOCIOLOGY.
 
> I agree with Warren about the definition of such a field, except for the 
part about its being an aspect of the methodology of economics. My 
difference with him probably stems from a difference regarding whether 
economics ought to be regarded as a unified method of reasoning about a 
somewhat broadly defined set of "economic problems" (my view) or whether it 
should be regarded as a set of interactions in which people who are regarded 
as, or who regard themselves as, economists engage. (I would guess this to 
be his view.) 
> 
METHODOLOGY IS ITSELF A FUNCTION OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF THE DISCIPLINE.  AND, AGAIN, WHO HAS
STATUS--ARE REGARDED ...  AS ECONOMISTS--IS PART OF THE PROBLEM OF ANY ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY.
 
I AFFIRM METHODOLOGICAL PLURALISM, NOT ONE SINGLE UNIFIED METHOD OF REASONING. 
 
> In my view, a sociology of economics would be about the organization of 
individuals who study particular problems and who use the "unified method of 
reasoning." It would probably exclude many people who have been labeled 
"economists" by themselves and others. The methodology of economics, by my 
definition, refers to the study of the unified method of reasoning. 
> 
TOO EXCLUSIVIST FOR MY TASTE AS SOCIOLOGY OF ECONOMICS; HENCE, AN EXAMPLE OF HOW PREMISES
AND PRECONCEPTIONS INFLUENCE FINDINGS.
 
> Why approach your question by referring to a difference of opinion on what 
economics is? Because I doubt that there is much agreement on the matter. If 
I am correct, the starting point for a sociology of economics would seem to 
be to define "economics." 
> 
SAME POINT, AGAIN; SUCH PRIVILEGES ON SUBGROUP AND ITS DEFINITION OF ECONOMICS. 
 
WARREN SAMUELS 
 
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