The Problem with Economics: Naturalism, Critique and Performativity

  • Fabian Muniesa
Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Perspectives from Social Economics book series (PSE)

Abstract

How natural is economic nature and how provocative is it to claim that this nature is a provoke done? The purpose of this contribution is to expose the problem of the naturalness of economic things. Naturalism in modern economic reason is examined through a series of ‘breaching thought experiments’: intellectual setups in which economics, economic critique and the critique of economics are confronted to annoying situations or uncomfortable paradoxes. The very idea of the performativity of economics and the critical reactions it prompts are analysed in these terms: that is, as an anthropological test on the quandaries of economic naturalism.

Keywords

Economic Reason Economic Reality Economic Sociology Economic Science Economic Category 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Fabian Muniesa
    • 1
  1. 1.Centre de Sociologie de l’Innovation (CSI)Mines ParisTech (École des Mines de Paris)ParisFrance

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