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Sraffa, Wittgenstein, and Gramsci

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  • Amartya Sen

Abstract

Two distinct but interrelated issues are investigated here. The first concerns Sraffa's critical role in contemporary philosophy through his pivotal influence on Wittgenstein. The intellectual origins of this profound influence can be traced to the philosophical interests of the activist political circle in Italy (clustered around the journal L'Ordine Nuovo) to which both Sraffa and Antonio Gramsci belonged. The second inquiry concerns the influence of Sraffa's philosophical views on his economics. Sraffa's economic contributions can be much better understood by paying attention to the way Sraffa changed the nature of the questions asked, rather than seeking different answers to already established questions.

Suggested Citation

  • Amartya Sen, 2003. "Sraffa, Wittgenstein, and Gramsci," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 41(4), pages 1240-1255, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jeclit:v:41:y:2003:i:4:p:1240-1255
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/002205103771800022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Stuart Holland & Teresa Carla Oliveira, 2013. "Missing Links: Hume, Smith, Kant and Economic Methodology," Economic Thought, World Economics Association, vol. 2(2), pages 1-46, October.
    2. Antonio D'Agata, 2021. "Normative (and objective) analysis in Sraffa's system," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(3), pages 635-648, July.
    3. John F. Helliwell, 2019. "Measuring and Using Happiness to Support Public Policies," NBER Working Papers 26529, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Carlo Milana, 2019. "Refuting Samuelson's Capitulation on the Re-switching of Techniques in the Cambridge Capital Controversy," Papers 1912.01250, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2019.
    5. Rosselli, Annalisa & Trabucchi, Paolo, 2019. "Sraffa, the ‘marginal’ method and change," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 334-340.
    6. Heinz Kurz, 2009. "'If some people looked like elephants and others like cats, or fish …' On the difficulties of understanding each other: the case of Wittgenstein and Sraffa," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(2), pages 361-374.
    7. Naqvi, Nadeem, 2007. "Constant returns to scale and economic theories of value," MPRA Paper 5306, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Pier Luigi Porta, 2013. "What remains of Sraffa's economics," Working Papers 242, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised May 2013.
    9. Nuno Ornelas Martins, 2012. "Mathematics, Science and the Cambridge Tradition," Economic Thought, World Economics Association, vol. 1(2), pages 1-2, December.
    10. Nuno Ornelas Martins, 2013. "Classical Surplus Theory and Heterodox Economics," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(5), pages 1205-1231, November.
    11. Amiya Kumar Bagchi, 2019. "Piero Sraffa: Making a Revolution in Economic Theory," Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, , vol. 31(2), pages 217-234, July.
    12. PARYS, Wilfried, 2013. "All but one: How pioneers of linear economics overlooked Perron-Frobenius mathematics," Working Papers 2013030, University of Antwerp, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    13. repec:hal:journl:dumas-00906152 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Alessandro Le Donne, 2022. "Quale Marx? A partire da una rilettura di Marx e gli economisti classici di Pierangelo Garegnani (Which Marx? A discussion from a re-reading of Marx and the classical economists by Pierangelo Garegnan," Moneta e Credito, Economia civile, vol. 75(299), pages 327-338.

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