ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on categorisation and nomenclature economics, and particularly to dualisms such as orthodox economics versus heterodox economics and political economy versus economics. It also makes the argument that it would be desirable for the term heterodox economics to be used somewhat more narrowly and carefully. It is appropriate to start an examination of categorisation in economics by looking at orthodox economics versus heterodox economics, which is a dualistic categorisation of economics that enjoys some currency at the moment, at least amongst self-identified heterodox economists. The complex versus complicated system ontology also helps to make better sense of the orthodox research frontier. Commonalities can be seen in the special case game that sometimes gets played between different schools of economics. It is argued that orthodox economics is largely compatible with a complicated system ontology, and a pluralist social science orientated economics is compatible with the ontology of a complex system.
