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Is econophysics a new discipline? The neopositivist argument

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  • Schinckus, Christophe

Abstract

Econophysics is a new approach which applies various models and concepts associated with statistical physics to economic (and financial) phenomena. This field of research is a new step in the history and the evolution of Physics Sciences and the question about the disciplinary characteristics of this field must be asked. At first glance, it might appear that economics and econophysics share the same subject of research (that of analysis of economic reality). In this paper I will use neopositivism to show that econophysics is methodologically very different from economics and that it can be considered as a separate discipline. The neopositivist framework provides econophysics with some arguments for rejecting mainstream economics.

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  • Schinckus, Christophe, 2010. "Is econophysics a new discipline? The neopositivist argument," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 389(18), pages 3814-3821.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:389:y:2010:i:18:p:3814-3821
    DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2010.05.016
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    5. Marco Angelo Marinoni, 2014. "Evoluzioni dottrinali su incertezza e rischio. Da Knight e Sassi alla Teoria del Caos," CONTABILIT? E CULTURA AZIENDALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2014(1), pages 33-53.
    6. Poitras, Geoffrey & Heaney, John, 2015. "Classical Ergodicity and Modern Portfolio Theory," MPRA Paper 113952, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Gajic, Nenad & Budinski-Petkovic, Ljuba, 2013. "Ups and downs of economics and econophysics — Facebook forecast," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 392(1), pages 208-214.
    8. Hernández-Ramírez, E. & del Castillo-Mussot, M. & Hernández-Casildo, J., 2021. "World per capita gross domestic product measured nominally and across countries with purchasing power parity: Stretched exponential or Boltzmann–Gibbs distribution?," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 568(C).
    9. Schinckus, Christophe, 2015. "Positivism in finance and its implication for the diversification finance research," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 103-106.
    10. Moura, N.J. & Ribeiro, Marcelo B., 2013. "Testing the Goodwin growth-cycle macroeconomic dynamics in Brazil," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 392(9), pages 2088-2103.
    11. Boris Salazar, 2016. "Mandelbrot, Fama and the emergence of econophysics," Revista Cuadernos de Economia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, FCE, CID, vol. 35(69), pages 637-662.
    12. Jovanovic, Franck & Schinckus, Christophe, 2017. "Econophysics and Financial Economics: An Emerging Dialogue," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780190205034.

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