Pluralism is not 'anything goes' - grounding pluralism in economics in diverse economies by rehabilitating Paul Feyerabend

Abstract

Research in economics has become increasingly diverse. Some even speak of fragmentation. Thus, how to integrate a pluralism of methods in economics, becomes a major challenge of the discipline. But pluralism in economics is often associated negatively with a methodological 'anything goes'. We argue that contrary to widespread belief, the philosophy of Paul Feyerabend helps to resolve such worries. His concept of traditions allows us to address not just the epistemological dimensions of pluralism. With a diversity of economic traditions comes a diversity of normative orders which can be accommodated by an economic science subscribing to pluralism as a meta-tradition.