Comparatism—A constructive approach in the philosophy of science

The fundamental idea in the comparatist approach presented here is that a scientific theory is not judged to be right or wrong in itself, but as more true or false in comparison with an alternative. A comparison between two alternatives needs a standard and ultimately, truth is the standard of science. Comparatism follows the objectivist tradition. The most significant deviation from major ideas in the objectivist school is proposing a less dominating role for falsification. The comparatism perspective is then applied to some controversies of methodology in economics. Comparatism is claimed to be a descriptive model for much of science and to be a normative model for constructive guidance of scientific inquiry.

Research highlights► A theory with shortcomings should not be discarded until a better one is presented. ► Paradigms are commensurables, but shifts are resisted and in need of extra arguments. ► This scientific approach is described in a root metaphor as a crime investigation.