Book review: Knowledge, scale and transactions in the theory of the firm by M. Morroni

Is theoretical diversity beneficial to scientific progress? One could be tempted to answer immediately yes, since theoretical diversity means the elaboration of alternative assumptions, whose related results can be confronted, and further validated or refuted. Theoretical diversity is thus generally considered as a basic condition for scientific progress. In the meantime, one could also advocate that the conflict between alternative theories can be so intense that even the object of study may be captured in radically different ways, leading to poor confrontation, validation and refutation processes. In that case, the fragmented view that results is not necessarily beneficial to scientific advances. A medium way of putting these arguments together, and trying to reconcile the two former opposite points of views, is to consider that, in a phase of emergence of a specific field of research, abundance in theoretical arguments, and even antagonism, is desirable; in a phase of maturity, however, coordination between various approaches is preferable.