Observations in a Hostile Environment
Morgenstern on the Accuracy of Economic Observations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4298316 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marcel Boumans (0000-0002-8717-8148, Utrecht University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | suppl_1 |
| Pages | 114-136 |
| Publication date | 2012-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History of Political Economy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-2702 • E-ISSN: 1527-1919 |
| Publisher | Duke University Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1215/00182702-1631806 |
| OpenAlex | W2065470469 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 14 |
This article provides a history of the treatment of observational errors where conditions cannot be controlled to reduce inaccuracies, more specific, a history of the discussion of errors in social statistics. The main focus is on Oskar Morgenstern's atypical position in this discussion. In contrast to his contemporary social statisticians, Morgenstern took the natural science approach as the ideal standard for dealing with errors. His position, however, is not atypical when compared with natural science perspectives at that time. His view was attuned with the view of logical empiricism of the 1950s on the difference between natural science and social science: because social science is inexact we need experts to ensure that observations are "scientific." Moreover, in a "hostile" and "secret" world we need experts to assess the accuracy of the observations
Economics · Empiricism · Epistemology · Focus (optics · Ideal (ethics · Natural (archaeology · Position (finance · Sociology · Economic Theory and Institutions · History · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Probability and Statistical Research · Psychology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,2 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2023 (8) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |