Economics today (Positive) & its future
Economics today has seemed to follow the path laid out by Friedman and the logical positivists and empiricists. Neoclassical economics which focuses on the scientific and positivist traditions within economics is the dominant view among economists and educators today. However, there is a growing trend which is trying to move away from the focus of purely positivist conclusions. Sen and other are trying to return to Smith and other classicals who advocated positions in both normative and positive economics, citing the merits of each. Dickinson College in particuar has a very strong commitment to cultivating diverse views in all of its subjects, including economics. The economics department requires all economic majors to take a Contending Perspectives class in which students learn several criticisms of neoclassical economics and suggestions for alternative systems. Additionally, there are several faculty who come from a heterodox background and have significant works within their fields. Although neoclassical economics does make some normative claims, these claims are typically based off of the positive work in economics. Heterodox positions in economics often begin with a normative claim about the way things should be and develop the system and argument for it from that claim.
