CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Korth, Ida |
|---|---|
| Title | The Issue Of De-Idealization In Economic Modeling: A Critical Examination |
| Summary | This thesis critically examines the process of de-idealization in modeling and its implications for the economic sciences. There is a wide debate about whether idealized models in economics can be used to draw conclusions about the real world, given that they represent a distorted and inexact picture of it. Philosophers and economists frequently claim that the method of de-idealization can constitute a defense for the use of idealization in economic modelling. However, this claim has been significantly challenged. Various philosophers of science claim that de-idealization can only enhance the explanatory and predictive power of idealized models if they essentially claim something true. This thesis will discuss this argument and its implications for the method of de-idealization as a way of proceeding in the economic sciences. It will argue that de-idealization is a relatively conservative way of proceeding in science and might be particularly inefficient in the economic context. |
| Supervisor | Kronfeldner, Maria |
| Department | Undergraduate Studies BA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/korth_ida.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2025, Central European University