ABSTRACT
The history of economic thought is sometimes written as a progressive, unidirectional process of refinement, removing from the discipline what is sloppy, partisan, or biased and leaving only those elements consistent with the ideal of a rigorous, detached, and value-free science. In light of the discussion of objectivity in Chapter 3, this chapter looks at some ways in which the pursuit of detachment has been manifested in the historical development of economics. The “Statements of Purpose” or “of Principles” adopted by scientific professional associations offer a way of seeing how the members themselves conceived of the purpose of their gathering in association, and perhaps even the purpose of their investigative activity itself. The fact that such value-laden statements (the purpose of which is to persuade prospective members or the public of the worthiness of the associations’ activities) come from groups that may also espouse the ideal of a “value-free” science, leads to the possibility of irony.
