School of Theology and Seminary Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2014
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Catholic Studies | Economics | Religion | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
This essay addresses two important problems with mainstream economics that reduce its usefulness for people of religious faith: its eclipse of the causal forces operating within the ‘black box’ of the market, and its empiricist methodological underpinnings. Yet neither of these problems requires religious resources for a solution. The critical realist philosophy of science of Roy Bhaskar provides a fruitful alternative to empiricism. The insights of critical realist sociologists to understand markets as social structures provide a helpful way to direct economists’ attention to important but neglected market relations.
Recommended Citation
Finn, Daniel K. "Philosophy, Not Theology, Is the Key for Economics: A Catholic Perspective." Econ Journal Watch 11, no. 2 (May 2014): 153-159. .