by From Peter Soderbaum Economists, like other people, are political economic persons guided by their ideological orientation. We are eager to become accepted in some social groups. Just as political parties often are afraid of departing too much from one another, an economist may prefer a comfortable life by positioning herself close to other economists with respect to conceptual framework and ideology. Accepting the norms and standards of neoclassical economics is rewarding and constitutes a natural way of life. And since students are not exposed to any alternatives to neoclassical economics, the acceptance of neoclassical theory is not necessarily the result of a conscious choice. At some stage, however, a person may feel that she or he is locked into this theoretical perspective and
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from Peter Soderbaum
Economists, like other people, are political economic persons guided by their ideological orientation. We are eager to become accepted in some social groups.
Just as political parties often are afraid of departing too much from one another, an economist may prefer a comfortable life by positioning herself close to other economists with respect to conceptual framework and ideology. Accepting the norms and standards of neoclassical economics is rewarding and constitutes a natural way of life. And since students are not exposed to any alternatives to neoclassical economics, the acceptance of neoclassical theory is not necessarily the result of a conscious choice. At some stage, however, a person may feel that she or he is locked into this theoretical perspective and category of economists. “Critical thinking” within a discipline, and in the academy generally, is supposed to pave the way for improvements of a paradigm and even new theoretical perspectives. But critical thinking is not always appreciated.