04/17/2022
By Evan Jack and Henry Keller
[Evan] Can an adequate theory of economics be derived a priori? To answer this question, hypotheticals can be used to get around the question of metaphysics. For, an a priori metaphysics has the difficulty of garnering a theory of the subject. So, if we just use a hypothetical formulation of the (human) subject that we all agree on, then a theory of economics can be derived much easier.
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[Henry] Economics has long been tasked with simultaneously developing a theory of individual behavior, group behavior, and the complex systems which both govern and are governed by both. Due to the deficiencies of the mainstream to forecast or even explain its content, one popular reaction is to eschew the use of logical deduction and hypothetical models in favor of a strict empirical/institutional method. However, a mass of data is first of all mediated by those who collect it, and secondly does not, in itself, offer any causal explanation for the relations of variables.
