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Is econophysics a new discipline? The neopositivist argument

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  • Schinckus, Christophe

Abstract

Econophysics is a new approach which applies various models and concepts associated with statistical physics to economic (and financial) phenomena. This field of research is a new step in the history and the evolution of Physics Sciences and the question about the disciplinary characteristics of this field must be asked. At first glance, it might appear that economics and econophysics share the same subject of research (that of analysis of economic reality). In this paper I will use neopositivism to show that econophysics is methodologically very different from economics and that it can be considered as a separate discipline. The neopositivist framework provides econophysics with some arguments for rejecting mainstream economics.

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  • Schinckus, Christophe, 2010. "Is econophysics a new discipline? The neopositivist argument," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 389(18), pages 3814-3821.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:389:y:2010:i:18:p:3814-3821
    DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2010.05.016
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    7. Schinckus, Christophe, 2015. "Positivism in finance and its implication for the diversification finance research," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 103-106.
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    9. Poitras, Geoffrey, 2018. "The pre-history of econophysics and the history of economics: Boltzmann versus the marginalists," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 507(C), pages 89-98.
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