Journal of the History of Economic Thought Preprints - Sir James Steuart on the Origins of Commercial Nations

The Public ◽

Public Market ◽

History Of ◽

Science Of The Artificial

This paper examines James Steuart’s explanation of the emergence of commercial nations. Unlike other Scottish thinkers of the time, Steuart argues that artifice is necessary for the rise of commercial societies. He uses the term “artificial” to refer to a devised process, one that is an alternative to the supposedly natural process arising from innate propensities. The system of trade and commerce is an “artifice” created by merchants to obtain benefits, and established by the sovereign, for his ostentation and personal prestige, until it became generalized as a commercial nation. Steuart's explanation of the emergence of commercial nations accounts for how individuals become dependent on and subordinate to the public market. Finally, this paper concludes that Steuart’s Political Œconomy promotes a science of the artificial that seeks to understand the functioning of non-natural mechanisms and to create instruments that the statesman adapts to the needs and objectives of individuals

SIR JAMES STEUART ON THE ORIGINS OF COMMERCIAL NATIONS

Journal of the History of Economic Thought ◽

10.1017/s1053837217000682 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 561-578 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

José M. Menudo

Keyword(s):

Natural Process ◽

The Public ◽

Public Market ◽

Science Of The Artificial

This paper examines James Steuart’s explanation of the emergence of commercial nations. Unlike other Scottish thinkers of the time, Steuart argues that artifice is necessary for the rise of commercial societies. He uses the term “artificial” to refer to a devised process, one that is an alternative to the supposedly natural process arising from innate propensities. The system of trade and commerce is an “artifice” created by merchants to obtain benefits, and established by the sovereign for his ostentation and personal prestige, until it became generalized as a commercial nation. Steuart’s explanation of the emergence of commercial nations accounts for how individuals become dependent on and subordinate to the public market. This paper concludes that Steuart’s Political Œconomy promotes a science of the artificial that seeks to understand the functioning of non-natural mechanisms and to create instruments that the statesman adapts to the needs and objectives of individuals.

How Homo economicus lost her mind and how we can revive her

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x1800033x ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

Author(s):

Peter DeScioli

Keyword(s):

Economic Thought ◽

Homo Economicus ◽

Economic Theories ◽

Target Article ◽

History Of ◽

The Mind ◽

And Behavior

AbstractThe target article by Boyer & Petersen (B&P) contributes a vital message: that people have folk economic theories that shape their thoughts and behavior in the marketplace. This message is all the more important because, in the history of economic thought, Homo economicus was increasingly stripped of mental capacities. Intuitive theories can help restore the mind of Homo economicus.

Documents on and from the History of Economic Thought and Methodology

10.1016/s0743-4154(2008)26_part_3 ◽

2008 ◽

Keyword(s):

Economic Thought ◽

Documents from the History of Economic Thought

10.1016/s0743-4154(2007)25_part_2 ◽

2007 ◽

Keyword(s):

Economic Thought ◽

Essays of a “comparatively progressive” economist (On the 150th birth anniversary of Vladimir Geleznoff)

Voprosy Ekonomiki ◽

10.32609/0042-8736-2019-10-135-145 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 135-145

Author(s):

Viktor A. Popov

Keyword(s):

Economic Theory ◽

Political Economy ◽

Economic Thought ◽

The Political ◽

Russian History ◽

Working Ability ◽

Intellectual Inquiry ◽

Deep comprehension of the advanced economic theory, the talent of lecturer enforced by the outstanding working ability forwarded Vladimir Geleznoff scarcely at the end of his thirties to prepare the publication of “The essays of the political economy” (1898). The subsequent publishing success (8 editions in Russia, the 1918-year edition in Germany) sufficiently demonstrates that Geleznoff well succeded in meeting the intellectual inquiry of the crossroad epoch of the Russian history and by that taking the worthful place in the history of economic thought in Russia. Being an acknowledged historian of science V. Geleznoff was the first and up to now one of the few to demonstrate the worldwide community of economists the theoretically saturated view of Russian economic thought in its most fruitful period (end of XIX — first quarter of XX century).

Thorstein Veblen: A View from the 21st Century

Voprosy Ekonomiki ◽

10.32609/0042-8736-2007-7-73-85 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 73-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

R. Nureev

Keyword(s):

21St Century ◽

Institutional Economics ◽

Economic Thought ◽

Thorstein Veblen ◽

The article provides a description of T. Veblen’s views, showing his place in the history of economic thought. The author analyzes the context of Veblen’s life and work and considers different aspects of his theoretical legacy. Special attention is paid to the discussion of Veblen’s role in the development of institutional economics. The author describes in detail the main trends in the development of institutionalism after Veblen.