On the reality of ideology in economic theory
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to review some of the basic ideas in the works of
Maurice Dobb and Joseph A. Schumpeter with reference to the methodology of the history
of economic thought. It seems to exist a debate between the authors, as long as Dobb tries to
criticize Schumpeter’s ideas. Their apparently opposite views could be fairly associated with
an “externalist” X “Internalist “ controversy, but it is argued that this is not the case because
they share some common and undiscussed premises. The problem should be to discuss the
real significance of using the tools of economic theory not only by verifying their “practical”
consequences or by isolating the techniques from other levels of analysis but assuming the
relevance of ideological criticism at the methodological plane.
JEL Classification: B41.
Keywords: Methodology of economics Dobb-Schumpeter polemic ideology