Dear All,

Since this will not appear in a HET journal, you may not notice this
paper. What the paper does is argue that development of economic
knowledge is similar to development of others sciences and can be looked
at in terms of paradigms. Science studies suggests this, but the concept
of paradigm can also be found in the philosophy of science of course. It
then also offers suggestions to characterize paradigms as well as
incommensurabilities between then, to subsequently offer <instrumental>
reasons for studying the history of economics.

Here is the abstract:

Paradigms and Novelty in Economics
By WILFRED DOLFSMA and PATRICK J. WELCH
ABSTRACT.
Over time, economics has experienced paradigm shifts,
and there is every reason to think this will continue. In economics, as
in the development of technological knowledge, paradigms do not
emerge from nowhere, but build on precursors, possibly from other
fields. Our understanding of current economic thinking can be
enhanced by paying greater attention to the role of paradigms and by
using concepts such as myth, plot structure, and cultural endowment,
which are typically given greater attention by literary analysts than by
economists. Here we argue that together these can help us better
understand how ideas from other times and fields may be combined
with our own to generate better research and publications, and that a
greater awareness of the history of economics may well be an excellent
vehicle for enhancing that understanding.


Best,

Wilfred Dolfsma