Dear listmembers,

I am trying to gather references on the following problem: to what 
extent the tractability of a theory justifies that scientists stick to 
it, despite their empirical flaws? My case in point would be expected 
utility theory. It seems mathematically convenient and allows us to 
explain how certain equilibria are achieved in game theory.

This seems a widely shared intuition, but I am seeking for texts with 
more explicit arguments about the tractability of EUT (or any other 
mathematical theory in economics): Would you point out texts featuring 
such arguments? Please, do it off-list and if anybody is interested I 
can compile a list and share it later.

Thanks in advance
David