In the next Perspectives on Science seminar, Jennifer Jhun (Duke University) will give a talk titled “Revisiting the question of reduction in economics”.
The seminar takes place in person at Metsätalo room 10 and online via Zoom from 14:15 to 15:45 on Monday the 7th of April 2025. Please contact mirja-leena.zgurskaya@helsinki.fi for the Zoom link. The speaker is present through Zoom.
Perspectives on Science is a research seminar which brings together experts from the philosophy of science and several fields of science studies. It is organized by TINT – Centre for Philosophy of Social Science at the University of Helsinki. More information about the seminar can be found on the TINT webpage https://tint.helsinki.fi.
What: “Revisiting the question of reduction in economics” by Jennifer Jhun
When: Monday 07.04.2025 from 2 to 4 pm (EEST)
Where: Metsätalo (sali 10), and Zoom
Abstract:
This talk revisits the question of whether macroeconomics reduces to microeconomics, or, alternatively, whether we should think of the former as autonomous from the latter. I argue (1) that the answer to the question is, at best, “sometimes”, and (2) if we take economic practice seriously, we are led to a more interesting question that is distinct from the reductionist question in its usual epistemological or metaphysical formulations.
Bio:
Jennifer Jhun is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at Duke University, as well as a Faculty Fellow at the Center for the History of Political Economy. She holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. Her main research interests lie in the philosophy of science, especially economics, though she occasionally thinks about issues in other areas such as psychology and physics. She currently works on a project that investigates antitrust from a history and philosophy of science perspective. She co-hosts “Smith and Marx walk into a bar: A history of economics podcast” (https://hetpodcast.libsyn.com/) and her academic website can be found at www.jenniferjhun.com.