The Lost Philosophy of Economics: A Tale of Surrender from Thought to Ideology, from Method to Dogma, and toward Interdisciplinary Imperialism

Year 2026, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 142 - 166, 26.03.2026

Betül Sarı Aksakal

https://doi.org/10.30586/pek.1778078

https://izlik.org/JA43BH97JM

Abstract

This article examines, from a historical and critical perspective, how modern economics has gradually distanced itself from its philosophical and social foundations and evolved into an increasingly technical and instrumental field of knowledge. By privileging positivist methodology, mathematical formalization, and abstract modelling, the neoclassical approach has detached economics from its historical, ethical, and class-based contexts, reshaping it into a discipline that appears neutral while, in practice, reproducing capitalist relations of production within an ideological framework. This transformation became institutionalized, particularly under the influence of American academic dominance after 1945, shaping not only theoretical orientations but also the content and methods of economics education. As a result, the discipline moved toward a structure that marginalizes pluralism, prioritizes mathematical standardization, and constrains critical inquiry. The article traces this process through the consolidation of the neoclassical–Keynesian synthesis, the rise of general equilibrium theory and econometrics, and the expansion of economics into other social sciences. This expansion—often described as disciplinary imperialism—is examined in relation to the narrowing of the discipline’s intellectual horizon and its role in reproducing neoliberal consent. In conclusion, the study argues that strengthening heterodox approaches, supporting methodological pluralism, and re-centering historically informed critical perspectives are essential for restoring the social responsibility of economics.

Keywords

Neoclassical economics , economics education , American academic hegemony , Post-Autistic Economics Movement , ideological orientation.

Supporting Institution

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Project Number

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İktisadın Kayıp Felsefesi: Düşünceden İdeolojiye, Yöntemden Dogmaya ve Disiplinlerarası Emperyalizme Teslimiyetin Hikâyesi

https://izlik.org/JA43BH97JM

Abstract

Bu çalışma, modern iktisadın felsefi ve toplumsal köklerinden uzaklaşarak giderek teknikleşmiş ve araçsal bir bilgi alanına dönüşmesini tarihsel ve eleştirel bir perspektifle incelemektedir. Pozitivist yöntemi, matematiksel biçimselleşmeyi ve soyut modellemeyi merkeze alan neoklasik yaklaşım, iktisadı tarihsel, etik ve sınıfsal bağlamından koparmış; onu kapitalist üretim ilişkilerini görünürde tarafsız fakat esasen ideolojik bir çerçevede yeniden üreten bir disipline dönüştürmüştür. Bu dönüşüm özellikle 1945 sonrası Amerikan akademik etkisi altında kurumsallaşmış; yalnızca teorik yönelimleri değil, iktisat eğitiminin içeriğini ve yöntemini de belirlemiştir. Böylece disiplin, çoğulculuğu dışlayan, matematiksel standartlaşmayı esas alan ve eleştirel düşünceyi sınırlayan bir yapıya evrilmiştir. Makale, bu süreci neoklasik-Keynesçi sentezin yerleşmesi, genel denge teorisi ile ekonometri uygulamalarının yükselişi ve iktisadın diğer sosyal bilimlere doğru genişlemesi üzerinden ele almaktadır. Disipliner emperyalizm olarak adlandırılan bu genişleme, disiplinin entelektüel daralmasıyla birlikte neoliberal rızanın yeniden üretimindeki rolüyle birlikte değerlendirilmektedir. Sonuç olarak çalışma, heterodoks yaklaşımların güçlendirilmesini, metodolojik çoğulculuğun desteklenmesini ve tarihsel duyarlılığa sahip eleştirel bir perspektifin yeniden merkeze alınmasını, iktisadın toplumsal sorumluluğunu yeniden kazanması açısından gerekli görmektedir.

Keywords

Neoklasik iktisat , iktisat eğitimi , Amerikan akademik hegemonyası , Post-Otistik İktisat Hareketi , ideolojik yönelim.

Project Number

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