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Whither the history of economic thought? Going nowhere rather slowly?

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  • Heinz Kurz

Abstract

The paper argues that economics is not a perfect selection mechanism that preserves each and every economic idea that is valid and useful and jettisons all ideas that are not. The teleological view of the subject cannot be sustained. Therefore the task of the history of economic thought cannot be limited to the study of the past from the present state of economics. Another important task is to study the present state of economics from the standpoint of past authors in order to see what has been gained and what lost in the course of time. The history of the subject is a treasure trove of ideas. The history of economic thought may play a useful role by preserving valuable ideas which otherwise would fall into oblivion. To foster the subject is therefore also in the interest of general economists.

Suggested Citation

  • Heinz Kurz, 2006. "Whither the history of economic thought? Going nowhere rather slowly?," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(4), pages 463-488.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:eujhet:v:13:y:2006:i:4:p:463-488
    DOI: 10.1080/09672560601063929
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. A. Maltsev., 2015. "History of Economic Thought, Quo vadis?," VOPROSY ECONOMIKI, N.P. Redaktsiya zhurnala "Voprosy Economiki", vol. 3.
    2. André Lapidus, 2016. "Pourquoi l'histoire de la pensée économique est-elle différente des autres histoires ? [Почему История Экономической Мысли Отличается От Других Историй?]," Post-Print hal-01619020, HAL.
    3. Alex Millmow, 2009. "Cicero’s Children: The Worth of the History of Economic Thought for Business Students," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 28(4), pages 355-365, December.
    4. Vadim Kufenko & Niels Geiger, 2016. "Business cycles in the economy and in economics: an econometric analysis," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 107(1), pages 43-69, April.
    5. André Lapidus, 2019. "Bringing them alive," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(6), pages 1084-1106, November.
    6. William A. Jackson, 2013. "The desocialising of economic theory," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 40(9), pages 809-825, July.
    7. Heinz D. Kurz & Tamotsu Nishizawa & Keith Tribe (ed.), 2011. "The Dissemination of Economic Ideas," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14521, March.
    8. Madarász, Aladár, 2008. "Visszatérhet-e a "nagy elmélet" a közgazdaságtanban?. Megjegyzések a rendszerparadigma elmélettörténetéhez [Can the grand theory" return to economics?. Notes on the theoretical histo," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(2), pages 95-106.
    9. Sarah F. Small, 2023. "Infusing Diversity in a History of Economic Thought Course: An Archival Study of Syllabi and Resources for Redesign," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 49(3), pages 276-311, June.
    10. Jérôme Blanc & Ludovic Desmedt, 2014. "In search of a ‘crude fancy of childhood’: deconstructing mercantilism," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 38(3), pages 585-604.
    11. Yong Qin & Zeshui Xu & Xinxin Wang & Marinko Škare, 2021. "Are family firms in the eyes of economic policy?," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 1233-1259, September.
    12. Kurz, Heinz D., 2010. "The Contributions of Two Eminent Japanese Scholars on the Development of Economic Theories: Michio Morishima and Takashi Negishi," MPRA Paper 20430, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Heinz D. Kurz, 2011. "The Contributions of Two Eminent Japanese Scholars to the Development of Economic Theory: Michio Morishima and Takashi Negishi," Chapters, in: Heinz D. Kurz & Tamotsu Nishizawa & Keith Tribe (ed.), The Dissemination of Economic Ideas, chapter 13, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Jakob Kapeller & Stephan Puehringer & Christian Grimm, 2022. "Paradigms and policies: the state of economics in the German-speaking countries," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(4), pages 1183-1210, July.
    15. Caroline Gerschlager, 2012. "Agents of change," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 413-441, July.

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