Can we resolve the problem of the entanglement of facts and values in economics?

HiPhiS (History & Philosophy of Science) Lecture by Sina Badiei, Economist and Associate Professor at the University of Strasbourg, Office of Theoretical and Applied Economics (BETA UMR 7522).
Free admission.

Conference Summary

How can economics address the problem of the entanglement of facts and values? The field of economics is confronted with the coexistence of competing ethical concepts and normative systems, whose foundations and influence on human behavior have been the subject of philosophical debate for centuries. Many concepts and theories, which appear ethically neutral on the surface, are in fact steeped in values.
Hillary Putnam has shown that in economics, facts and values are inextricably linked, though he did not specify how to articulate them rigorously. We propose to address this question through the work of several economists and philosophers—notably Popper, Rawls, and Sen—in order to show that, far from opening a “Pandora’s box” that is difficult to control, recognizing this intertwining of facts and values can, on the contrary, serve as the starting point for a genuine roadmap to coherently integrate norms and values into economic analysis.