ABSTRACT
Economists have disagreed far more in their opinions about the methods of economic science than in their actual use of them. Very few economists really know what methods they employ; all that they are usually conscious of is the mental processes by which they justify their conclusions after they have reached them. Consequently, more may be learned about method by a study of the work that economists have done than by a study of how they say they have done it or would like their pupils to do it.
