The Mengers versus Mises on Matters Methodological

The paper argues for three points. The first purpose of the paper is to show that Carl Menger would have rejected Ludwig von Mises’ methodological apriorism. Second, I argue that Carl Menger was a pluralist about the methods of theoretical economics and that Mises was rather less of a pluralist, if not altogether a monist, about the legitimate method(s) of economic theorizing. Finally, I try to establish the broad consistency of Menger’s pluralism with the tolerant methodological attitude of his son, the mathematician, logician, and philosopher of science, Karl Menger