The empire of economics

This article comments on the use of microeconomic instruments in fields that once were the exclusive preserve of the other social sciences, and its consequences for current theoretical activities. It looks particularly at the Theory of the Family by Becker, who has been accused of being the person m...

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Autores:
Ovejero Lucas, Félix
Tipo de recurso:
Article of journal
Fecha de publicación:
1997
Institución:
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Repositorio:
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Idioma:
spa
OAI Identifier:
oai:repositorio.unal.edu.co:unal/48136
Acceso en línea:
https://repositorio.unal.edu.co/handle/unal/48136
http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/41495/
Palabra clave:
Microeconómico
imperio de la economía
Becker
procesos sociales
división de trabajo
egoísmo
calculador
productividad
Rights
openAccess
License
Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional
Description
Summary:This article comments on the use of microeconomic instruments in fields that once were the exclusive preserve of the other social sciences, and its consequences for current theoretical activities. It looks particularly at the Theory of the Family by Becker, who has been accused of being the person most responsible for 'economic imperialism', that is, for applying the view of the calculating and selfish individual --homo economicus-- to the study of social processes that had usually been explained by means of history or institutions. In spite of strong criticisms of Becker, the author considers his work to be meritorious insofar as it contributes to showing, in a passive form, the excessive 'padding' that is hidden behind the trivialities or the darkness --which is not profundity but rather vacuity-- of certain social literature.