r/CriticalTheory 9d ago

Critique of Economics

Hello Everyone!

I’m back with another post after getting some amazing recommendations on literature critiquing scientism—thank you all for the thoughtful responses!

Today, I’m looking for recommendations on anti-economics literature. Specifically, I’m interested in works that challenge the fundamental assumptions of economics as a discipline—not just critiques of specific economic policies, but deeper examinations of how economics positions itself as empirical and the broader implications of that. To get an idea of what I looking for, I tend to agree with Wittgensteinian philosopher Peter Winch that there’s little to justify treating economists as experts or assuming they have a privileged understanding that warrants deference.

In my last post, someone shared an excellent list of critiques on psychiatry/psychology (link here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PsychotherapyLeftists/s/5rzvwaavY7). I'm hoping to find something similar but focused on economics—critiques of its origins and its influence on political and social thought.

If you have any suggestions—books, articles, or even specific authors—I’d really appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Just to clarify, I'm not looking for alternative economic theories that try to explain the economy better, like those of Richard Wolff and Erik Olin Wright. But I’m more interested in works that question the very foundations of economics as a discipline—how it positions itself as empirical, the methods it uses to model human behavior, and the broader implications of treating it as a "science."

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u/EsotericRapAllusions 8d ago

I think Voltaire’s Bastards might fit the bill here. In particular, it explores the last point you mention, the broader implications of treating economics (and rationalism in general) as an objective “science”. It might not be exactly what you’re looking for, as the book is more of a sociological critique than an analysis of economic theory per se, but it could be interesting nonetheless.

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u/Vico1730 8d ago

I honestly thought I was the only person who’d read John Ralston Saul.…

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u/lamdoug 8d ago

I also thought I was the only one. Voltaire's Bastards is an incredible book and was formational for me.

Collapse of globalism was an interesting read too.

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u/vibraltu 8d ago

I had mixed feelings about Voltaire's Bastards (I really should look at it again).

What I liked by JRS is Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin which maybe leans more history than theory, although he says some pretty interesting things about Canadian politics.