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Date: | Fri Mar 31 17:19:17 2006 |
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================= HES POSTING =================
The question of whether historians of economics should
break away from economics and embrace history of
science seems, at least to me, a personal one. One would
have to subjectively assess the costs and benefits of such a
move and act accordingly. However, Roy's entreaty for
historians of economics to maintain appropriate standards
for "proper" historical analysis is a separate issue. I am in
complete agreement with Roy. The discipline of history, as
with all disciplines and traditions, is also riven with
differences and dissension, but it does place a greater
emphasis on standards of historiography. But my question
is how are economics students, like myself, expected to
learn such standards? There are absolutely no incentives to
pursue the history of economics, let alone approach its study
with the type of rigor and standards found in the discipline
of history. I attended the New School for my MA not only
because of its strong HES tradition, but also because I could
pursue an interdisciplinary approach to economics that
included history and philosophy. There were no incentives
to pursue my degree in this fashion (even at the New
School!), and it has certainly not enhanced my chances for
acceptance to a doctoral program in economics (and heaven
forbid I should mention the history of economic thought in
my personal essay!). For good or for bad, the positive
incentives that exist within the discipline of economics guide
students into adopting formal, mathematical methods of
study to the exclusion of all else. This is certainly not a new
or profound revelation by any means. But the issue of
raising the standards of historical scholarship in the history
of economics is a moot one until the messages and
incentives that are conveyed to students are changed.
Jonathon E. Mote
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