Towards a Cultural Psychology of Science: Economics and Economists in Contemporary Chile

The present thesis is an enquiry about two distinct but complementary issues: the personal dimension of scientific activity, and the influential role that economists have had during the last decades in Chile. Regarding the former, this work complements existing philosophical, social, and psychological studies of science with a cultural psychology perspective. This perspective aims to be sensitive to the personal nature of the scientific activity but also to the cultural conditions in which scientific knowledge is constructed, without subsuming any of these dimensions into the other. At the same time, this work offers a novel perspective on the notorious role that economists have had in contemporary Chilean society, a topic that has been mostly addressed as exclusively social and institutional. By focusing on economists’ experiences and views, this thesis shows that, while inserted in a particular historical background and a local scientific community, economists’ work is also driven by personal commitments and social interests. Far from an effort to undermine the work of economists, this thesis aims to provide a more grounded, human view of it.