Studies In The History Of Economic Theory Before 1870

Warren J. Samuels Each book in this series explores the present status of its field in terms of where it is, how it got there, the existing tensions within the field, and something of how the field might develop in the future. Each book presumes that work in each field is neither settled nor unequivocal. Each book attempts to comprehend its field as an evolving, developmental process or set or efforts. This particular book, covering neoclassical economics, is the third of three in the field of the History of Economic Thought. The others are Pre-Classical Economic Thought, edited by S. Todd Lowry, and Classical Political Economy, edited by William O. Thweatt. Each one conducts the same kind of analysis as the others in the series, with the understanding that here we are dealing with the history of interpretation, rather than a substantive body of analysis of a certain aspect of the economy: for example, labor or international trade. (That understanding must be com plex and subtle, inasmuch as revision of interpretation of earlier ideas is part of the process-both cause and consequence-of re-analyzing the economy. ) In this group we are interested in how recent and contemporary writers have interpreted the history of economic thought differently, both among themselves and from earlier writers. 1 NEOCLASSICAL ECONOMIC lHEORY 2 Several topics must be discussed to place such work in perspective, in part as it is here applied to the history of the interpretation of neoclassical economics.

The books reprinted in this set greatly influenced the way the development of economics was perceived and how the history of economics was viewed. Many of the titles represent the first attempts to chart the history of economics both from European and American perspectives. Titles cover the USA, UK, Germany and France, and include: * History of Political Economy from Antiquity to our days [1880]-"Jerome Adolphe Blanqui" * View of the Progress of Political Economy in Europe [1847]--"Travers Twiss" * A Short History of Political Economy in England [1891]-"L.L. Price" * The History of Economics [1896/1911]-"Henry Dunning MacLeod" * History of Economic Thought [1911/1930]-"Lewis H. Haney" * History of Economic Doctrines [1915]-"Charles Gide"and "Charles Rist" * Types of Economic Theory [1930]-"Othmar Spann" * Philosophy and Political Economy in Some of their Historical Relations [1893]-"James Bonar" * The Development of English Thought: a Study in the Economic Interpretation of History [1899]-"Simon N. Patten" * A Guide to the Study of Political Economy [1876]-"Luigi Cossa"

Written over fifty years ago, History and Historians of Political Economy is now being published for the first time. John Maynard Keynes, after reading the manuscript, called Stark “one of the most learned men on these matters that I have ever come across.” Its publication is an important event in the study of the history of social ideas, particularly economic ideas. Werner Stark's most significant contribution to scholarship is his extensive work in the sociology of knowledge. In this volume, he reveals his parallel analysis of the history of economic thought, highlighting the paramount influence of social and historical factors. The themes of Stark's work are extraordinarily contemporary. He discusses economic historiography and the rational reconstruction method, issues that continue to be debated today. History and Historians of Political Economy is divided into two parts. The first section explains the beginnings of the history of economic thought as well as the theoretical and historical approaches towards the subject. The second section examines the relationship between phenomena and the explanation of phenomena theory. Stark illuminates the insights and limitations of the various approaches of study to the history of economic thought by analyzing the works of Eugen Dühring, Wilhelm Roscher, Karl Marx, Joseph Schumpeter, and many other prominent scholars. History and Historians of Political Economy is of significant value to the studies of economics and sociology. Stark's book raises a number of critical questions: How should past theories be understood and explained? What is the relationship between ideas and events? Do economic theories reflect universal truths or relative ones? These issues are as unsettled today as when originally presented. History and Historians of Political Economy is an essential addition to the libraries of economists, political theorists, sociologists, and historians of ideas.

The first part of the work is a series of select bibliographies of the different branches of theory. The second part covers a series of bibliographies of the works of key authors.

The appearance of the famous (and massive) volumes of Rothbards. History of Economic Thought in a new edition is cause for great celebration. They have been out of print for many years, and were previously only available at a price exceeding $200 for the set. They are at last accessible again, in beautiful hardcover, and at an affordable price. In Economic Thought Before Adam Smith, Murray Rothbard traces economic ideas from ancient sources to show that laissez faire liberalism and economic thought itself began with the scholastic and early Roman, Greek, and canon law. He celebrates Aristotle and Democritus, for example, but loathes Plato and Diogenes. He is kind toward Taoism and Stoicism. He is no fan of Tertullian but very much likes St. Jerome, who defended the merchant class. Now, that takes us only to page 33, just the beginning of a wild ride through the middle ages and renaissance and modern times through 1870. Classical Economics offers new perspectives on both Ricardo and Say and their followers. The author suggests that Ricardianism declined after 1820 and was only revived with the work of John Stuart Mill. The book also resurrects the important Anglo Irish school of thought at Trinity College, Dublin under Archbishop Richard Whatley. Later chapters focus on the roots of Karl Marx and the nature of his doctrines, and laissez faire thought in France including the work of Frederic Bastiat. Also included is a comprehensive treatment of the bullionist versus the anti bullionist and the currency versus banking school controversies in the first half of the nineteenth century, and their influence outside Great Britain. These are indeed the books that Mises himself longed to see "A real history of economic thought," he said in 1955, "would have to point out the development of the doctrines and not merely list every book." When these volumes first appeared, they were celebrated in Barrons and by top scholars around the world. They succeeded in changing the way people think about economic doctrine the beginnings (not Adam Smith, but the Spanish theologians), the dead ends (Marx), the great triumphs (Bastiat, for example), and the truly great minds (Turgot and many others he rescued from near obscurity). Rothbard read deeply in thinkers dating back hundreds and thousands of years, and spotted every promising line of thought & mdash, and every unfortunate one. He knew when an idea would lead to prosperity, and when it would lead to calamity. He could spot a proto Keynesian or proto Marxist idea in the middle ages, just as he could find free market lines of thought in ancient manuscripts. Many scholars believe this was his most important work. The irony is that it is not the work it was supposed to be, and thank goodness. He was asked to do a short overview of the modern era. He ended up writing more than 1,000 pages of original ideas that remade the whole of intellectual history up through the late 19th century. Once Rothbard got into the project, he found that most all historians have made the same error they have believed that the history of thought was a long history of progress. He found that sound ideas ebb and flow in history. So he set out to rescue the great ideas from the past and compare them with the bad ideas of the "new economics." His demolition of Karl Marx is more complete and in depth than any other ever published. His reconstruction of 19th century banking debates has provided enough new ideas for a dozen dissertations, and contemporary real money reform. His surprising evisceration of John Stuart Mill is cause to rethink the whole history of classical liberalism. Most famously, Rothbard demonstrated that Adam Smiths economic theories were, in many ways, a comedown from his predecessors in France and Spain. For example, Smith puzzled over the source of value and finally tagged labor as the source (a mistake Marx built on). But for centuries prior, the earliest economists knew that value came from within the human mind. It was a human estimation, not an objective construct. Rothbard was a pioneer in incorporating the sociology of religion into the history of economic ideas. He saw that the advent of Christianity had a huge impact on the theory of the state. He observed the rise of absolutism and theory of nationalism that came with the reformation. He traced the changes in the Western view toward lending and interest payments over the course of a thousand years. The number of insights in these volumes are countless. Every page, every paragraph, bursts with intellectual energy and the authors fiery passion to tell the reader the remarkable story of economics. Many reviewers have remarked that Rothbards accomplishment seems super human. He seems to have read everything. His originality is overwhelming. His passion for liberty and integrity in science is evident. His disdain toward those who sell out to the state is manifest as well. Rothbard worked on these volumes in the ten years before his death. He also gave a series of lectures on his ongoing research. As a result, we all had very high expectations. But nothing could have prepared us for what eventually appeared. This set is a monument to Rothbards genius, a resource that will be valuable to intellectuals for generations, and a great read too.