Edward Elgar Publishing ECONOMIC THEORY AND NATURAL PHILOSOPHY: The Search for the Natural Laws of the Economy

In Economic Theory and Natural Philosophy Charles Clark sheds new light on the development of economic thought, paying particular attention to elements of continuity and divergence. The book offers many new insights into Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill and Victorian evolutionary social theory, the natural law foundations of the marginal utility revolution and axiomatic general equilibrium theory. In conclusion, the author argues that if economic theory is to be truly scientific it must develop a theory that is based upon history and social structure.Economic Theory and Natural Philosophy is certain to arouse controversy and will be essential reading for all those interested in the history of economic thought and the current state of modern economic theory. Review ’Clark’s discussion is wide-ranging; it blends his own critical reading of texts with the effective use of a particularly wide selection of secondary literature, and it contains material which should be of interest to anyone with a concern either for the history of thought of for methodology.’ About the Author Charles M.A. Clark, Professor and Senior Fellow, Vincentian Center, St John’s University in America, US Foreword by Robert L. Heilbroner, Norman Thomas Professor Emeritus, New School for Social Research, US