Description: Reflection without Rules offers a comprehensive, pointed exploration of the methodological tradition in economics and the breakdown of the received view within the philosophy of science. Professor Hands investigates economists' use of naturalistic and sociological paradigms to model economic phenomena and assesses the roles of pragmatism, discourse, and situatedness in discussions of economic practice before turning to a systematic exploration of more recent developments in economic methodology. The treatment emphasizes the changes taking place in science theory and its relationship to the movement away from a rules-based view of economic methodology.
Review Quotes: "Wade Hands [is] the perfect author...he reads everything...he is a master of the critical survey. His treatment is even-handed...Reflection without Rules contains a balanced critical review of the latest developments in economic methodology. [E]very economist interested in methodology...should have this book on his or her shelf." Bruce Caldwell, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Southern Economic Journal