On Reviewing Machine Dreams: Zoomed-In versus Zoomed-Out

A review essay on a book by P. Mirowski, Machine Dreams: Economics Becomes a Cyborg Science (Cambridge: Cambridge U Press, 2002). Philip Mirowski's recent book Machine Dreams: Economics Becomes a Cyborg Science continues to receive many reviews. Judging by recent reviews, this is a very controv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy of the social sciences 2006-12, Vol.36 (4), p.480-495
Main Author: Boland, Lawrence A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Economic Models
Machinery
Research Methodology
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:A review essay on a book by P. Mirowski, Machine Dreams: Economics Becomes a Cyborg Science (Cambridge: Cambridge U Press, 2002). Philip Mirowski's recent book Machine Dreams: Economics Becomes a Cyborg Science continues to receive many reviews. Judging by recent reviews, this is a very controversial book. The question considered here is, how can one fairly review a controversial book -- particularly when the book is widely popular and, for a history of economic thought book, a best seller? This essay uses Mirowski's book as a case study to propose one answer for this question. In the process, it will examine how others seem to have answered this question.
ISSN:0048-3931
DOI:10.1177/00483931060293458