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El surgimiento de la concepción de racionalidad en la economía dominante
[The emergence of the conception of rationality in mainstream economics]

Author

Listed:
  • Alfonso Palacio-Vera

    (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

Abstract

La racionalidad es un término con connotaciones normativas. Cuando decimos que el comportamiento de una persona es racional, insinuamos que actúa como debería actuar. La dimensión normativa de la racionalidad suele ser confundida por los científicos sociales. Los historiadores del pensamiento económico no son inmunes a este problema. La tesis principal de este ensayo es que el uso más temprano del término ‘racionalidad’ en Economía aparece en la obra de Lionel Robbins y Paul Samuelson en la década de 1930, quienes identifican la racionalidad con la consistencia o transitividad de las preferencias. Utilizando evidencia textual, muestro que los economistas neoclásicos que los precedieron no usaron el término ‘racionalidad’ y, aunque sí emplearon el término ‘lógica’, lo hicieron sin ninguna pretensión normativa. Identifico tres hitos en el proceso de aparición de una concepción de la racionalidad en la Economía Neoclásica. El primero es la separación que hace Jevons entre la Economía y la Ética, y la delimitación del campo de la Ciencia Económica. El segundo hito son las nociones conjuntas de bien económico y escasez acuñadas por Carl Menger. El tercer y último hito es la reinterpretación de la utilidad como una jerarquía de preferencias, realizada por Vilfredo Pareto y perfeccionada por Hicks y Allen. Por último, repaso brevemente algunas limitaciones conceptuales de la concepción actual de racionalidad en Economía.

Suggested Citation

  • Alfonso Palacio-Vera, 2025. "El surgimiento de la concepción de racionalidad en la economía dominante [The emergence of the conception of rationality in mainstream economics]," Iberian Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Dpto. Historia e Instituciones Económicas I., vol. 12(2), pages 129-140.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucm:ijohet:v:12:y:2025:i:2:p:129-140
    DOI: 10.5209/ijhe.104978
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    File URL: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124934
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    JEL classification:

    • B13 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Neoclassical through 1925 (Austrian, Marshallian, Walrasian, Wicksellian)
    • B21 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Microeconomics
    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology

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