Looking for “the Logic of Human Nature” in the Principles of Economics: A Critique of Mises' Praxeology

Liu Qingping

Journal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Vol. 18, Issue 05, pp. 4 - 14 (2016)  DOI:10.16538/j.cnki.jsufe.2016.05.001

Abstract

Mises' praxeology presents an in-depth philosophic paradox:how could we get rid of misguiding and distortion of our normative value judgment and explore the logic structure of human being behavior that normative value connotation equally abounds from an as-it-is perspective? Although his answer has defects like a lack of value standards of good and evil,he has made original contributions which have great significance to the whole areas of humanities and social sciences including economics. In particular,he clearly distinguished between dimensions of fact & value,and meta value & normative value,which are confused by many western philosophers,so it is worthy of our in-depth reflection when exploring human being behavior, especially market exchange behavior,namely how to discuss the internal mechanisms of various market behavior including unequal exchange,and then reveal the origins of human nature in principles of mainstream economics like the invisible hand and marginal utility,through the introduction of basic standards of meta value that human being behavior like good & evil must resort to and according to the logic of human nature.

Keywords

Mises; praxeology; logic of human nature; principle of economics; fact; value