ISBN: 9780226597447

Reconsiders the centrality and legacy of Hume’s economic thought and serves as an important springboard for reflections on the philosophical underpinnings of economics. Although Dav… Mehr…

Reconsiders the centrality and legacy of Hume’s economic thought and serves as an important springboard for reflections on the philosophical underpinnings of economics. Although David Hume’s contributions to philosophy are firmly established, his economics has been largely overlooked. A Philosopher’s Economist offers the definitive account of Hume’s “worldly philosophy” and argues that economics was a central preoccupation of his life and work. Margaret Schabas and Carl Wennerlind show that Hume made important contributions to the science of economics, notably on money, trade, and public finance.  Hume’s astute understanding of human behavior provided an important foundation for his economics and proved essential to his analysis of the ethical and political dimensions of capitalism. Hume also linked his economic theory with policy recommendations and sought to influence people in power. While in favor of the modern commercial world, believing that it had and would continue to raise standards of living, promote peaceful relations, and foster moral refinement, Hume was not an unqualified enthusiast. He recognized many of the underlying injustices of capitalism, its tendencies to promote avarice and inequality, as well as its potential for political instability and absolutism.   Hume’s imprint on modern economics is profound and far-reaching, whether through his close friend Adam Smith or later admirers such as John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek. Schabas and Wennerlind’s book compels us to reconsider the centrality and legacy of Hume’s economic thought—for both his time and ours—and thus serves as an important springboard for reflections on the philosophical underpinnings of economics. Trade Books>Hardcover>Philosophy>Philosophy>Philosophy, University of Chicago Press Core >2<

ISBN: 9780226597447

Hardback, [PU: The University of Chicago Press], "David Hume's contributions span every branch of human inquiry: ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, political philosophy, aesthetics, relig… Mehr…

Hardback, [PU: The University of Chicago Press], "David Hume's contributions span every branch of human inquiry: ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, political philosophy, aesthetics, religion, and economics. While reams of scholarship have been devoted to Hume's thought, his work on economics is still relatively unexplored. In this book, philosopher Margaret Schabas and intellectual historian Carl Wennerlind provide the definitive account of Hume's "worldly philosophy." Hume, they show, was intent on getting out of the armchair and ensuring that his philosophy had practical implications-to subdue superstition, soften religious zealotry, and promote harmonious relations in modern society. Part of this endeavor involved material betterment, and Hume brought to his economic thought a richly astute understanding of human agency, of how our minds work and prompt our actions. The authors paint him as the quintessential proponent of liberalism and a dedicated supporter of commercial modernization. However, they note that he was not an unqualified enthusiast-he saw the potential of modern commerce to increase debt, fuel runaway inflation, and feed factionalism in political rule, for example, and he fretted over the potential for international conflicts to spiral out of control. Given Hume's friendship with Adam Smith, and his influence over nineteenth-century thinkers as prominent as Thomas Malthus, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx, a serious appraisal of this side of his oeuvre is long overdue. As two of Hume's closest readers, Schabas and Wennerlind offer just that in this delightfully wide-ranging exploration of the history of philosophy and modern economic thought"--, Social & Political Philosophy<

ISBN: 9780226597447

Hardback. New. Although David Hume's contributions to philosophy are well known, his work on economics has been largely overlooked. A Philosopher's Economist offers the definitiv… Mehr…

Hardback. New. Although David Hume's contributions to philosophy are well known, his work on economics has been largely overlooked. A Philosopher's Economist offers the definitive account of Hume's &quot;worldly philosophy,&quot; and argues that economics served as a unifying thread of his life and work. In this insightful monograph, Margaret Schabas and Carl Wennerlind show that Hume made important contributions to economic theory, for example on money, trade, and public finance. Hume's astute understanding of human behavior provided an important foundation to his economics and enabled him to follow through on the ethical and political dimensions of capitalism. He was also keen to connect his analysis with policy recommendations and sought to influence those in power. While he supported commercial modernization, because it would promote peaceful relations, foster learning, and soften religious zealotry, he was not an unqualified enthusiast. He recognized the potential of capitalism for instability and the rise of absolutism. Hume's imprint on modern economics is profound and far-reaching, both because of his influence on Adam Smith and Thomas Robert Malthus, and because of later admirers such as Friedrich Hayek and Paul Krugman. This book by Schabas and Wennerlind compels us to reconsider the centrality and legacy of Hume's economic thought--for both his time and ours--and serves as an important springboard for reflections on the philosophical underpinnings of economics., 6<

2020, ISBN: 9780226597447

Hume and the Rise of Capitalism, Buch, Hardcover, [PU: University of Chicago Press], University of Chicago Press, 2020