Title

Philosophy, Not Theology, Is the Key for Economics: A Catholic Perspective

Authors

Daniel K. Finn, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow

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. .