Re: Rationality and Methodology

["Gunnar Tomasson" <tomasson@xxxxxxxx>]

Jonathan:

Re. the following:

> Gunnar, thanks for setting me straight on the precise definition of the
> term. I'd heard it bandied-about in the following way: to operationalize
> a theory or model is an achievement on the path to a naturalistic
> science, and not simply an indication of the vague possibility of that
> achievement. So, I never bothered to check Samuelson even though I knew
> he introduced the term to economics.  But if we go with Samuelson's
> definition, then possessing scads of operationally meaningful theories
> (it's revealing that he sometimes calls them 'theorems') isn't really
> very impressive.

In the three papers listed below, I  address aspects of Samuelson's
methodology and related issues at length.

Gunnar


http://www.egroups.com/files/gang8/Tomasson%2CFoundations_of_Economic_Analys
is.doc

http://www.egroups.com/files/gang8/T%80%A0%A0%F2masson%2CLord_Keynes_and_the
_%27Moderns%27.doc

http://www.egroups.com/files/gang8/Tomasson%2CPrinciples_of_Economic_Analysi
s.doc