Özet
Economics and economic methodology arc two different fields of inquiry in terms of their aims, methods and functions. Since methodology has to follow its science (this is one of the main arguments of this article), the positive-normative distinction, which has vital importance in all social sciences, has different functions in economies and in economic methodology. In economics, positive knowledge is the knowledge about “what is, was or will be”. In economic methodology positive knowledge is the knowledge about the scientific activity without taking into account the “demarcation criterion/criteria”. Normative knowledge in economics, on the other hand, is the knowledge about “what ought to be” and normative knowledge in economic methodology is knowledge about scientificity of knowledge according to proposed or accepted “demarcation criterion/criteria”. Consequently, mainstream economics has ‘positive, but mainstream economic methodology has normative characteristics because of the social function of the methodology in general and economic methodology in particular.