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46The equivalence of neo-darwinism and walrasian equilibrium: In defense of organismus economicusBiology and Philosophy 25 (2): 229-248. 2010.Neo-Darwinism is based on the same principles as the Walrasian analysis of equilibrium. This may be surprising for evolutionary economists who resort to neo-Darwinism as a result of their dissatisfaction with Walrasian economics. As it is well-known, the principle of rationality does not play a role in neo-Darwinism. In fact, the whole (neo-)Darwinian agenda became popular exactly because it expunged the idea of rationality from nature, and hence, from equilibrium. It is less known, however, tha…Read more
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3Evolution, Order and ComplexityRoutledge. 2002.Evolution, Order and Complexity reflects topical interest in the relationship between the social and natural worlds. It represents the cutting edge of current thinking which challenges the natural/social dichotomy thesis by showing how the application of ideas which derive from biology can be applied and offer insight into the social realm. This is done by introducing the general system theory to the methodological debate on the relation of human and natural sciences.
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9Action, Entrepreneurship and Evolution.”In Weber (ed.), Handbook of Whiteheadian Process Thought, De Gruyter. pp. 145-160. 2008.This chapter offers a subtle but subversive thesis: There is no difference between everyday action and creativity and, consequently, evolution. This thesis is subversive. It goes against the dominant dogmas in economics (i.e., neoclassical theory) and evolutionary biology (i.e., neo-Darwinian theory). Both dogmas draw a radical divide between action and evolution. For neo-Darwinian theory, action is phenotype ultimately determined by genotype—while the genotype evolves according to another …Read more
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46What Determines the Boundary of Civil Society? Hume, Smith and the Justification of European Exploitation of Non-EuropeansTheoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory 60 (134): 26-49. 2013.Civil society consists of members obligated to respect each other’s rights and, hence, trade with each other as equals. What determines the boundary, rather than the nature, of civil society? For Adam Smith, the boundary consists of humanity itself because it is determined by identification: humans identify with other humans because of common humanness. While Smith’s theory can explain the emotions associated with justice (jubilance) and injustice (resentment), it provides a mushy ground for the…Read more
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63Practical beliefs vs. scientific beliefs: two kinds of maximizationTheory and Decision 74 (1): 107-126. 2013.Abstract There are two kinds of beliefs. If the ultimate objective is wellbeing (util- ity), the generated beliefs are “practical.” If the ultimate objective is truth, the generated beliefs are “scientific.” This article defends the practical/scientific belief distinction. The proposed distinction has been ignored by standard rational choice theory—as well as by its two major critics, viz., the Tversky/Kahneman program and the Simon/ Gigerenzer program. One ramification of the proposed distincti…Read more
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101Beyond Self-Interest and Altruism: A Reconstruction of Adam Smith's Theory of Human ConductEconomics and Philosophy 6 (2): 255-273. 1990.I attempt a reconstruction of Adam Smith's view of human nature as explicated in The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Smith's view of human conduct is neither functionalist nor reductionist, but interactionist. The moral autonomy of the individual, conscience, is neither made a function of public approval nor reduced to self-contained impulses of altruism and egoism. Smith does not see human conduct as a blend of independently defined impulses. Rather, conduct is unified, by the underpinning sentimen…Read more
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48Economics, biology, and naturalism: Three problems concerning the question of individuality (review)Biology and Philosophy 12 (2): 185-206. 1997.The paper examines the ramifications of naturalism with regard to the question of individuality in economics and biology. Economic theory has to deal with whether households, firms, and states are individuals or are mere entities such as clubs, networks, and coalitions. Biological theory has to deal with the same question with regard to cells, organisms, family packs, and colonies. To wit, the question of individuality in both disciplines involves three separate problems: the metaphysical, pheno…Read more
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34The Fellow-Feeling Paradox: Hume, Smith and the Moral OrderPhilosophy 90 (4): 653-678. 2015.Hume and Smith advance different answers to the question of whether sympathy can ever be the foundation of the moral order. They hold contradictory views of sympathy, called here ‘the Fellow-Feeling Paradox’. For Hume, fellow-feeling tends to reverberate in society, leading to the socialization of the individual and even mob (collective) psychology. Hence, sympathy cannot be the foundation of the moral order. In contrast, for Smith, fellow-feeling develops into critical judgment of the emoti…Read more
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10Animal innovation and rationality: Distinguishing productivity from efficiencyBehavioral and Brain Sciences 30 (4): 414-415. 2007.For the authors of the target article, innovations are underdetermined by environmental inducement underdetermination.sourceinducement” that makes the organism adopt it in the future
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Action |
Philosophy of Biology |