A dinâmica da argumentação em Schumpeter: um ensaio de análise retórica

This dissertation analyses the fecundity of the new rhetoric for a understanding of some elements of Joseph A. Schumpeter`s work. First of all, it provides a summary of the theoretical discussion about rhetoric within economics, which justifies the choice of new rhetoric as an alternative to McCloskey´s proposal. The different philosophical foundations of both approaches is the main source of this justification. The next step is the analysis of the contrast between two important books wrote by Schumpeter, Theory of Economic Development and Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. This analysis is based on the notions of universal and particular audiences proposed by Perelman&Olbrechts-Tyteca, using Swedberg`s proposal as a line of interpretation of Schumpeter´s work. The dissertation evaluates how the contents of each work are related according to their intent of persuading different concrete audiences as well as in what regards Schumpeter´s normative concepts. The analysis proves to be helpful to comprehend methodological questions with regard to his liability and includes testing some elements of Swedberg`s interpretation. The main finding, however, is how open Schumpeter´s work is to the new rhetoric, as revealed by the content of his writings and by his methodological statements on the scientific statute of economics. The recognition of economics as a field of assumptions of contingent nature is both the starting and the ending point of the proposed analysis.