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My field is methodology in general, not only concerning economics. Hence I 
am interested in conceptual structures and habits, and how as a consequence 
they shape a science and its practice. I have developed and published a 
methodological approach that allows to secure systematic completeness and 
certainty. Since some years I have been dealing also with economics. And 
here I have a question to the HES forum: 
 
Have there been attempts in economics for securing systematic completeness 
and certainty, especially in terms of grasping the principle of economy as 
a process, not just as a series of states or an aggregation of agent's 
decisions? If yes, on what conceptual basis has this beeen attempted or 
become possible? 
 
I only know of the work of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, which was not 
received very graciously by economics, maybe because he operates in a 
mixture of philosophical and physicalistic formats, which is a bit uncommon 
for the average economist. 
 
Otherwise, as far as I can see (e.g. with Juerg Niehans), the conceptual 
system of economics seems essentially to be built up on notions that 
originate in the exchange of goods and the means for facilitating such acts 
(types of money), starting with Aristotle and ending with the neoliberal 
approach. Other implied realms (nature / environment, resources, 
production, waste processing, integration into the cultural context, etc.) 
were gradually added, along with a differentiation of the institutional 
network — but under the same categories: there was barely any holistic 
conceptualization by principle. 
 
This conceptual structure leads indeed to the observable characteristics of 
the economy that now rules globally. But it is only the result of a 
contingent historical development, not of a systematic strictly holistic 
quest. — Or am I wrong? 
 
Thanking you in advance, best regards 
 
Alec Schaerer 
University of Basel, Switzerland 
 
 
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