The Relationship between Economics and Mechanics in Leon Walras

The achievements of the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century has caught the attention of many sciences other than the natural sciences. The idea that the success of classical physics can be recurred by applying the same methodological approaches was supported by many specialists in economics especially after the second half of the nineteenth century and “the marginal revolution” ensured important contribution to this idea. Leon Walras is one of the most determined economists who believes that the methodology of classical physics can ensure economics to be an exact science. To get the aim, he thinks that the variables of economics should be abstracted from their qualitative contents and be stated in terms of quantity. This study tries to explore the transformation process in which variables are converted from qualitative to quantitative. The process has some risks such as elimination of the structural and unique differences; thus, the problems brought about due to the application the same methodology in economics will be discussed. In addition, Walras imitates the methodology from mechanics so as to be able to reach the exact science but at the same time he also imitates epistemology from geometry for the same reasons. They are different sciences so, naturally, there are some differences in falsification and verification issues. One of them is the relationship between the economic realities and the general philosophy of his pure theory of economics which will finally be examined as well.