Sticky paradigms in Social Science: The role of emotion and ego in the case of economics

Abstract

Do paradigms in social science shift as swiftly as do many in natural science? This article surveys the evolution of economics as an example of how paradigms shift and interact in social science. Through com- parative historical analysis of economic theories, psychoanalysis, and theoretical reflection, it submits that academic progress in social scien- ce has normative underpinnings that interfere with paradigm shifts. We coin the term “Sticky Paradigms” to explain the combination of emotional normative framework and reason. This paper will first con- duct a review of different schools of thoughts in economics to examine if its intellectual history fits the standard of paradigm shifts. Second, we analyze how emotion and reason can work together to produce intellectualism. Third, we elaborate our conceptualization of “Sticky Paradigms”. We conclude with a discussion on the Hegelian dialectic, treating paradigms as competing myths rather than a pragmatic theo- retical competition.