Description:
Depuis les travaux d’Alfred Marshall, il est devenu impossible de séparer la théorie économique de la méthodologie car l’économie
Since Alfred Marshall’s time, it has been impossible to separate economic theory from economic methodology because neoclassical economics is primarily a method of analysis. It is the method of explaining all behavior as the logical consequences of one behavioral assumption (maximization subject to explicit constraints). As recognized by Marshall, the applicability of the maximization hypothesis presumes what Marshall called the Principle of Continuity. Examining the methodological presumption of continuity sheds light on the recurring controversies over the «imperialist» tendencies of some neoclassical economists such as those who have dared to venture into foreign territories by offering maximization explanations of such things as marriage contracts, charity, capital punishment, crime, etc. Specifically, It is easy to argue that the «imperialist» research program is incomplete until it has first been established that a sufficient degree of continuity has been assured.