The Predicament of Economics (and the social sciences more generally)
Fellow Lecture by Sanjay G. Reddy (Associate Professor of Economics at The New School for Social Research, Fellow of the Cluster of Excellence „The Formation of Normative Orders”) on 23rd July 2019
The lecture straddles the methodology, the sociology and politics of social science to ask how and why it is that the discipline of economics, looked to in order to provide answers to pressing questions of social explanation and of policy, often fails to do so in a manner that many could consider to be satisfactory, and is instead seemingly characterized by permanent internal conflicts, the reign of ideology, fads and fashions, and some notable predictive and explanatory failures. The lecture explores the forces and factors operating on the discipline to deflect or prevent it from better serving its social mission and explores the predicament of economists, asking whether certain debates can ever reasonably expected to be resolved or whether their continuation is a manifestation of politics in another form. If there is a way forward that might permit the discipline to become both more reason-bound and more faithful to society, what is it?
Presented by:
The Cluster of Excellence „The Formation of Normative Orders”
News from the research center
New series “Vertrauensfragen” in the Frankfurter Rundschau initiated by Hendrik Simon
Democracy thrives on debate - if it serves the joint search for solutions. There is often a problem with this cooperation. The new FR series “Vertrauensfragen”, initiated by Hendrik Simon (Research Institute Social Cohesion (RISC) Frankfurt location at Goethe University's Research Centre Normative Orders ), examines why this is the case and how we can do better.
more information ›Untrustworthy Authorities and Complicit Bankers: Unraveling Monetary Distrust in Argentina
Moreno, Guadalupe (2025): “Untrustworthy Authorities and Complicit Bankers: Unraveling Monetary Distrust in Argentina”. Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies Discussion Paper 25/3.
more information ›Klimaethik - Ein Reader
Presentation of the book with Lukas Sparenborg (Research Associate at the Institute of Political Science at Goethe University) and Prof. Dr. Darrel Moellendorf (Professor of International Political Theory and Philosophy at Goethe University, Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg, Member of the Research Centre Normative Orders)
more information ›Utopie und Aufbruch der 1968er – Was von politischer Rebellion und individueller Selbstbefreiung geblieben ist
The panel discussion with Rainer Langhans, Christa Ritter, who has been a member of Langhans' self-awareness group since 1978, and the social philosopher Martin Saar is dedicated to utopian ideas that emanated from the 1968 movement and sheds light on its ideals, impulses, individual and socio-political after-effects.
more information ›Territorial Justice by Lea Ypi
Workshop on the new book by Lea Ypi (LSE). With, among others: Andrea Sangiovanni and Ayelet Shachar.
more information ›A different view: The relevance of victims' perspectives on policing and racism
Europa in einer multipolaren Welt – Wie kann die EU den Herausforderungen gegenüber Großmächten begegnen?
Impuls von Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff mit anschließender Podiumsdiskussion
more information ›Does deliberative democracy have a future in the age of oligarchs, autocrats and patriarchs?
On June 3, Prof. Simone Chambers will give a lecture on the value of democracies and the future of the form of government.
more information ›Klimaethik. Ein Reader
Sparenborg, Lukas; Moellendorf, Darrel (Hrsg.) (2025) : Klimaethik. Ein Reader. Suhrkamp.
more information ›