Subjectivism, Spontaneous Order, and Praxeology – VRG
SUBJECTIVISM, SPONTANEOUS ORDER, AND PRAXEOLOGY
a SFL Virtual Reading Group
In this advanced virtual reading group, we will explore the emphasis on subjectivism and spontaneous order in the Menger-Mises-Hayek tradition in economics. We will begin with Menger’s original treatment of spontaneous order theorizing as a method for the social sciences. We will then turn to Mises’s extension of those ideas in Human Action and his discussion of praxeology and catallactics. Hayek’s work on the methodology of the social sciences in the 1940s emphasized the importance of subjectivism and his treatment of those issues in The Counter-Revolution of Science is among his most clear statements on the topic. Hayek’s work on the philosophy of mind also has important implications for how social science is done, and we will take a look at the last chapter of The Sensory Order to examine those connections. Our conversations will end with a look at some more recent statements of what Austrians mean by praxeology and subjectivism and how they fit with the original Mengerian approach.
- Discussion Leader: Dr. Steve Horwitz, Department of Economics, St. Lawrence University
- Meeting Dates: Mondays 8pm EDT, 10/24 – 11/28 (11/21 is off)