Eli5: Practically speaking, how is praxeology different than psychology?

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Whenever I read or hear that a “praxeology is a way to deduce behavior” vs how psychology is “an induction of behavior through the scientific method” the explanations make sense but I still don’t have a solid grasp of what’s exactly different about either from a practical sense. For example what is an issue or question that would be answered by only praxeology vs a question that can only be answered by psychology? I can see how economics deals with praxeological assumptions about scarcity but that’s about as much I can muster mentally towards understanding this dilemma. I haven’t found a way to wrap my head around it the nuanced differences and I need help.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Let’s break it down in simple terms:

Praxeology and psychology are two different ways of understanding and explaining human behavior.

Praxeology focuses on deducing behavior, which means trying to understand why people act the way they do by using logical reasoning and deductive principles. It starts with basic assumptions about human action, such as the fact that people have goals and they make choices to achieve those goals. Praxeology is often used in economics to analyze how people make decisions based on scarcity, which means there are limited resources and people have to choose how to use them.

Psychology, on the other hand, uses the scientific method to study and explain behavior. It relies on observation, experimentation, and data collection to understand why people behave the way they do. Psychologists study various aspects of behavior, including thoughts, emotions, and motivations, and they try to uncover the underlying processes that drive human actions.

So, to give you some practical examples:

– Praxeology could be used to understand why people decide to buy a certain product when it’s limited in supply. It would focus on how individuals make choices based on scarcity and their personal goals.

– Psychology, on the other hand, could be used to understand why people feel happy or sad in different situations. It would investigate the thoughts, emotions, and brain processes that contribute to these feelings.

In summary, praxeology is a logical and deductive approach to understanding behavior, often used in economics, while psychology is a scientific approach that relies on observation and experimentation to study behavior and its underlying processes.

Hope that was helpful!

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