Is economics a science?
To determine what constitutes a field of knowledge as being a science, the definition of a "science" should be established. According to the Science Council, science is: " the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence."
http://sciencecouncil.org/about-us/our-definition-of-science/
A key point to what a "science" denotes is that it is a so-called "empirical field" which means that it is based off of observations and evidence.Economics therefore is a science. It uses observations and evidence to create knowledge. Economists use observations such as measuring variables such as prices and market size. Economists use evidence such as sales or stock. Though economists may not be able to conduct experiments in the same way that subjects like biology and chemistry do, by directly altering a certain variable, economics is a science.
First of all, I LOVE this comic -- it's always been one of my favorites, and it's definitely applicable here. I also agree with your argument that economics is a science, and you justified it very soundly. I would recommend considering why this is even a question in the first place. Why doesn't everyone believe economics is a science? If you can answer that, you'd be able to better your own argument.
ReplyDelete-Logan Murtha