definition and measurement of the theoretical concept of utility, thereby bridging the gap between theory and statistical data. I … sought behavioral foundations for economic theory that enabled quantitative reasoning. By using thought experiments to … observing utility via actual experiments without eliminating the concept of utility from economic theory altogether. As such …

and qualitative analysis of introductory economics textbooks, we track the historical evolution of this rhetoric from 1970 … to the present day. We find that anti-experimental rhetoric was dominant and largely unchanged prior to the turn of the …, evidencing a sluggish change in rhetoric. We outline the evolution of statements over revised editions of influential textbooks …