FROM THE CRISIS THEORY TO THE CRISIS OF THE THEORY: THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SCIENCE FOR THE ECONOMIC CRISIS AND POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES

Due to the fiscal savings measures that have been supported by the prevailing neoliberal economic theory, the economy has hit a new low. Eurozone member states, including Slovenia, have faced economic turmoil. In the academic world, pro-cyclical effects caused by mainstream economic theory have raised questions about its political nature and possible alternatives. Much less attention has been paid to the issue of the responsibility of science as such, even though neoliberalism has enjoyed (and still does) the support of scientific methods of inquiry. Without reflecting on the limitations of the methods employed in research on the economic crisis, we cannot avoid the risk of making the same mistakes when trying to formulate alternative socioeconomic theories and political advice. This article tries to defend an argument that says that the flaws in the dominant research methods are underpinned by rationalist assumptions with regard to causality, and an idealist understanding of the nature of the object of inquiry. The article seeks to demonstrate that more sceptical assumptions enable conditional empirical claims to be made through which a more robust socioeconomic theory can be built.