Values as consequences of transaction: commentary on 'Reconciling homo economicus and John Dewey's ethics'

Mark White hopes to incorporate John Dewey's appeal to deliberation in preference formation into the neoclassical model of choice. White finds affinities between Dewey and neoclassicism: both reject preordained goals, value consequences above motives, and promote 'scientific ethics.'...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of economic methodology 2003, Vol.10 (2), p.245-257
Main Author: Ryan, Frank X.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Consequences Of Deliberation
Dewey, John
Economic models
Economic theory
Ethics And Science
Fact-value Dichotomy
Interaction Vs. Transaction
Neoclassical economics
Neoclassical Model Of Choice
Preferences
Problem solving
Problem-solving Activity
Valuation
Value As Valuation Activity
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Summary:Mark White hopes to incorporate John Dewey's appeal to deliberation in preference formation into the neoclassical model of choice. White finds affinities between Dewey and neoclassicism: both reject preordained goals, value consequences above motives, and promote 'scientific ethics.' I claim Dewey's actual theory of value and choice is more radically divergent, and may not simply be integrated with neoclassical model. Specifically, I claim: 1) White's interactional view of agents acting in an environment falls short of Dewey's transactional notion of their reciprocal determination within problem-solving activity; 2) beyond both preference and deliberation, the consequence of valuation activity is the final determinant of a good; 3) Dewey did not advocate relinquishing ethics to the natural and social sciences, but rather viewed moral behavior as the cultivation of a unique 'art.'
ISSN:1350-178X
1469-9427
DOI:10.1080/1350178032000071101