An essay on the nature and significance of social economics

Mark A. Lutz

pp. 407-442

in: Mark A. Lutz (ed), Social economics, Berlin, Springer, 1990

Abstract

As noted in the Preface, the conception of the present book has from the very beginning been deeply rooted in a point of view that regards contemporary social economics as a highly pluralistic field of inquiry. It would seem, accordingly, that any meaningful attempt to better comprehend it will have to come to grips with its characteristic inner diversity. Today, pluralism is the very key, the nuts and bolts of modern social economics, and even more certainly, the glue that has been holding it together. At the same time, especially in the present context, we need to recognize that there can be some diversity in the concept and meaning of "pluralism" itself. In particular, we will here distinguish between a 'strong version" and a more "moderate version" of pluralism. One is epistemological and ontological, the other merely epistemological.