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Econophysics as a new school of economic thought: twenty years of research

Aleksander Jakimowicz 

Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Economics (INEPAN), 1 Defilad Sq., Warsaw 00-901, Poland

Abstract

Econophysics is an interdisciplinary science based on the observation that physical objects and economic objects can share a common theory. Since logical homologies are its foundation, it is an example of the well-known isomorphism principle formulated by Ludwig von Bertalanffy. The emergence of interdisciplinary fields of knowledge is consistent with the paradigm of general systems theory. The development of a given field of knowledge is most often measured by its ability to formulate new knowledge about reality. Progress in research can be spoken of both when the application of traditional methods leads to the discovery of new facts and when new scientific laws are discovered using new methods. Econophysics is an attempt to develop economics through the transfer of research methods and techniques from physics to economics. We are therefore dealing here with a second possibility. The methods of physics most often applied in economics include the theory of stochastic processes, cellular automata and nonlinear dynamics. This study presents the most important existing achievements of econophysics and the attempts to reconcile them with traditional economic knowledge.

 

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Related papers

Presentation: Poster at 8 Ogólnopolskie Sympozjum "Fizyka w Ekonomii i Naukach Społecznych", by Aleksander Jakimowicz
See On-line Journal of 8 Ogólnopolskie Sympozjum "Fizyka w Ekonomii i Naukach Społecznych"

Submitted: 2015-08-13 14:46
Revised:   2015-08-17 11:08