IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cai/recosp/reco_541_0099.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

L'axiomatisation et les théories économiques

Author

Listed:
  • Philippe Mongin

Abstract

This essay aims at first reconsidering the « axiomatic method », and then showing how it is implemented in Debreu? s general equilibrium theory, von Neumann and Morgenstern?s theory of decision, and Arrow?s, Nash?s and their followers? contributions to normative economics. We separate an axiomatisation from other ways of formalization in terms of the following : first, a formal system, and second, the orderly interaction of a syntax and a semantics. We argue that logical calculi constitute a model of axiomatization that can be reproduced at least analogically elsewhere in science. Although economic axiomatizations follow Bourbaki?s set-theoretic style, they exhibit strongly distinctive features. Semantics is hardly formalized, and very often kept fixed throughout. In terms of a novel distinction of this paper, the economists? formal systems are « theorematic » rather than « definitional ». We conclude by objecting to the notion of axiomatisation adopted in normative economics. Classification JEL : B20, B41, C00, C70, D70

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe Mongin, 2003. "L'axiomatisation et les théories économiques," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 54(1), pages 99-138.
    • Handle: RePEc:cai:recosp:reco_541_0099
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.cairn.info/load_pdf.php?ID_ARTICLE=RECO_541_0099
    Download Restriction: free
    File URL: http://www.cairn.info/revue-economique-2003-1-page-99.htm
    Download Restriction: free
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Philippe Mongin, 2007. "L'a priori et l'a posteriori en économie," Recherches économiques de Louvain, De Boeck Université, vol. 73(1), pages 5-53.
    2. Philippe Mongin, 2012. "The doctrinal paradox, the discursive dilemma, and logical aggregation theory," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 73(3), pages 315-355, September.
    3. Mongin, Philippe & Dietrich, Franz, 2011. "An interpretive account of logical aggregation theory," HEC Research Papers Series 941, HEC Paris.
    4. Roberto Marchionatti Author-Email: roberto.marchionatti@unito.it & Fiorenzo Mornati Author-Email: fiorenzo.mornati@unito.it, 2016. "Economic Theories in Competition A New Narrative of the Debate on the General Economic Equilibrium Theory in the 1930s," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 63(5), pages 503-523, December.
    5. Sandye Gloria-Palermo, 2010. "Introducing Formalism in Economics : von Neumann's growth model reconsidered," Post-Print halshs-00726348, HAL.
    6. Jean Baccelli & Philippe Mongin, 2016. "Choice-based cardinal utility: a tribute to Patrick Suppes," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(3), pages 268-288, July.
    7. Philippe Mongin, 2011. "La théorie de la décision et la psychologie du sens commun," Working Papers hal-00625445, HAL.
    8. Michaël Lainé, 2014. "Vers une alternative au paradigme de la rationalité ? Victoires et déboires du programme spinoziste en économie," Post-Print hal-01335618, HAL.
    9. Philippe Mongin, 2012. "Une source méconnue de la théorie de l'agrégation des jugements," Revue économique, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 63(4), pages 645-657.
    10. Sandye Gloria-Palermo, 2013. "In Search of the Right Tool: From Formalism to Constructivist Modelling," GREDEG Working Papers 2013-33, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France.
    11. Sandye Gloria-Palermo, 2010. "Introducing Formalism in Economics: The Growth Model of John von Neumann," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 57(2), pages 153-172, June.
    12. Dorian Jullien, 2013. "Asian Disease-type of Framing of Outcomes as an Historical Curiosity," GREDEG Working Papers 2013-47, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France.
    13. Jean Baccelli, 2016. "L'analyse axiomatique et l'attitude par rapport au risque," Post-Print hal-01462286, HAL.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • B20 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - General
    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology
    • C00 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - General - - - General
    • C70 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - General
    • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cai:recosp:reco_541_0099. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Jean-Baptiste de Vathaire (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cairn.info/revue-economique.htm .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.