Ontology and Economics: Tony Lawson and his Critics Content Edward Fullbrook: Introduction: Lawson’s Reorientation 1a) Bruce Caldwell Some Comments on Lawson’s Reorienting Economics: Same Facts, Different Conclusions 1b) Lawson Response History, Causal Explanation and ‘Basic Economic Reasoning’ 2a) Bjørn-Ivar Davidsen Critical Realism in Economics – a different view 2b) Lawson Response Underlabouring for Substantive Theorising 3a) John B. Davis The Nature of Heterodox Economics 3b) Lawson Response Heterodox Economics and Pluralism 4a) Paul Downward, and Andrew Mearman Reorienting Economics Through Triangulation of Methods 4b) Lawson Response Triangulation and Social Research 5a) Bernard Guerrien Irrelevance and Ideology 5b) Lawson Response The Mainstream Orientation and Ideology 6a) Geoffrey M. Hodgson On the Problem of Formalism in Economics 6b) Lawson Response On the Nature and Roles of Formalism in Economics 7a) Bruce R. McFarling Finding a Critical Pragmatism in Reorienting Economics 7b) Lawson Response Ontology or Epistemology? 8a) Ruccio, David (Un)Real Criticism 8b) Lawson Response Ontology and Postmodernism 9a) Staveren, Irene van Feminism and Realism – A Contested Relationship 9b) Lawson Response Feminism, Realism and Essentialism 10a) Vromen, Jack Conjectural Revisionary Ontology 10b) Lawson Response Provisionally Grounded Critical Ontology Some Reviews "Tony Lawson is famous for being the most powerful and effective critic of mainstream economics. His criticism is made more effective by the fact that he has an alternative conception of economics and indeed the rest of the social sciences, a conception deriving from his ontological theorising. This volume gives eleven important writers from a variety of fields and points of view within economics a chance to appraise Lawson's work; and with his replies the reader gets a deeper sense of Lawson's point of view and achievement." John Searle, Slusser Professor of Philosophy, University of California at Berkeley "Over the past 15 years, Tony Lawson's prosecution of a programme to establish a field of social ontology has inspired leading post-positivist economists to think anew about the ends, means, and possibilities of economics as a social science. Much constructive dialogue and debate has been generated and Ontology and Economics chronicles and extends these probing dialogues. Lawson's fans and critics, and first-timers looking for a colourful snapshot of the realist movement in contemporary economics, will find this an immensely rewarding read." Rob Garnett, Texas Christian University, USA "This collection of essays between Tony Lawson and his critics is an important contribution to the ongoing critical discourse on ontology, realism and heterodox economics. While the critics do have their say, Lawson's responses convincingly demonstrate that his project in social ontology not only makes a significant contribution to heterodox economics but also is indispensable for its future development." Frederic S. Lee, Professor of Economics, University of Missouri-Kansas City