Keywords in the integration of the Humanities and the Social Sciences

Abstract

Amongst the social sciences economics in particular lays claim to a rigorous scientific paradigm. Economists nonetheless disagree in relation to contentious policy issues. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the way in which implicit philosophical positions are incorporated into contending schools of economic thought by the particular definitions given to a select few keywords (such as freedom, rationality, equality, justice, man and teleology). The case argued in this paper is that economics cannot be well taught without appreciation of both the history of economic thought and the history of political philosophy i.e. without better integration of the humanities and the social sciences.