Universität Wien

040264 SE Philosophy and Economics (MA) (2026S)

Apriorism in (Austrian) Economics Economics

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 4 - Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

Individual meetings can be moved online.

  • Thursday 05.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 19.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 26.03. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 16.04. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 23.04. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 30.04. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 07.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 21.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 28.05. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 11.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Thursday 18.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Friday 19.06. 13:15 - 14:45 Seminarraum 14 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Content
One characteristic of Austrian economics is the openly aprioristic character of at least parts of economic theory. For the truth values of at least some parts of Austrian economic theory, experience is not considered a critical standard: some sentences of the theory are not to be tested, verified, falsified, confirmed, or corroborated by empirical means. Extreme forms of apriorism are considered untenable in the light of modern
philosophy of science. Consequently, the putatively extreme apriorism and alleged neglect of empirical work in the praxeological branch of Austrian economics has faced harsh criticism by economists and philosophers alike, leading to a rejection of Austrian economic theories. This seminar will delve into the contemporary debates on extreme apriorism in (Austrian) economics.

Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of methodology of economics and of epistemology is recommended but not necessary. Basic ideas of Austrian economics will be introduced in the course, some previous familiarity with them is helpful but not necessary. Students will receive guidance but are required to immerse themselves in the primary and secondary literature and develop their own research topic for the seminar paper.

Aims
Diligent students will learn to (i) understand different defenses of the praxeological approach in Austrian economics - with or without extreme apriorism, (ii) conduct a more fine-grained analysis of the extremeness of apriorism in (Austrian and non-Austrian) economics, (iii) critically evaluate epistemological positions in (Austrian and non-Austrian) economics.

Method
Method
In the first few meetings of the semester, most sessions consist of the critical discussion of one or two required readings, as well as contextulization of these texts by the lecturers. In the rest of the semester, the peer-review process is simulated. Students submit an outline of a seminar paper. They receive oral and written feedback from their peers and from the lecturer. Most sessions consist of students presenting their ideas for the seminar paper and receiving feedback. The language of discussion is English, though German may be welcome as well, depending on the participants and the texts discussed. At the end of the semester, students submit their final seminar paper together with a memo that reflects how the feedback on their outline informed the final paper.

Assessment and permitted materials

Efforts of students are evaluated on the basis of critical contributions to discussions in class (25%), seminar paper (40%), outline and presentation (5%), review (20%), memo (10%). Written and oral contributions are evaluated according to the clarity, precision, logical structure, and completeness regarding the problems and arguments discussed. Seminar paper and memo can be in English as well as in German, review and memo have to be in English. The exact weights of these activities for the composition of the final grade depend on the number of participants and will be announced during the first class meeting. By registering for this course, you tacitly agree to having all your electronic submissions checked by Turnitin. The lecturers reserve the option to assign written or oral additional tasks, especially in cases where there is doubt whether performances were achieved independently.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

In order to conclude this seminar successfully, students have to provide a short presentation, contribute to discussions in class on a regular basis, and hand four written assignements: an outline of the seminar paper (circa 1000-2500 words), a review of an outline of someone else's outline (circa 700-1300 words), a seminar paper (circa 3500-5000 words), and a memo accompanying the seminar paper (circa 500-1500 words). Written answers, talks and seminar papers are evaluated according to the topical adequacy, clarity, precision, logical structure, originality, and completeness regarding the problems and arguments discussed.

Examination topics

Problems discussed in the seminar

Reading list

Relevant literature includes:

Hutchison, T. (1998) - Ultra-deductivism from Nassau Senior to Lionel Robbins and Daniel Hausman
Linsbichler, A. (2021) - Austrian economics without extreme apriorism
Linsbichler, A. (2024) - What Rothbard could have done but did not do
Mises, L. (1933/2003) - Epistemological Problems of Economics
Mises, L. (1940) - Nationalökonomie
Mises, L. (1962) - The ultimate foundation of economic science
Rizzo, M. (1982) - Mises and Lakatos: A reformulation of Austrian methodology
Rothbard, M. (1997) - The Logic of Action. Volume 1.
Scheall, S. (2015) - Hayek, the apriorist?
Scheall, S. (2017) - What is so extreme about Mises's apriorism

Association in the course directory

E.1.6.

Last modified: Mo 27.07.2026 09:26