Causality in economics: Rhetorical ethic or positivist empiric?

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of ‘causality’ in the social and behavioural sciences, particularly as deployed in economics and econometrics (or statistical testing in general). Causality is closely associated with empirical testing of theories and hypotheses in an empiricist manner. In this way it is fundamentally connected to our notions of scientific endeavour. But causality is also a rhetorical category in these areas, as well as in everyday debate about social and economic matters. The question raised is ‘Why has causality come to occupy such a central place in our intellectual culture? What are the conditions of existence of a “causal culture” in both the domain of scientific endeavour and popular disputation?’ The argument is that there are a wide range of conditions that support this ‘causal culture’ not least of which is an ethical imperative associated with a felt need to attribute blame for mishaps, accidents, conditions of life, and so on. Thus an ethic of morality is strongly involved. The rhetorical operation of causality is linked to this ethic and, in addition, to a range of other non-ethical conditions for the ‘causality culture’ within economics and related disciplines.