On the reality of ideology in economic theory

The purpose of this paper is to review some of the basic ideas in the works of Maurice Dobb and Joseph A. Schumpeter with reference to the methodology of the history of economic thought. It seems to exist a debate between the authors, as long as Dobb tries to criticize Schumpeter’s ideas. Their apparently opposite views could be fairly associated with an “externalist” X “Internalist “ controversy, but it is argued that this is not the case because they share some common and undiscussed premises. The problem should be to discuss the real significance of using the tools of economic theory not only by verifying their “practical” consequences or by isolating the techniques from other levels of analysis but assuming the relevance of ideological criticism at the methodological plane.

KEYWORDS:
Methodology of economics; Dobb-Schumpeter polemic; ideology