Rethinking economics as social theory / Richard E. Wagner (Emeritus professor of economics, George Mason University, US.).

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wagner, Richard E., author.

Contributor:

Edward Elgar Publishing, publisher.

Series:

Rethinking economics (Series)

Rethinking economics series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Economics--Sociological aspects.

Economics.

Social sciences--Philosophy.

Social sciences.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (208 pages).

Place of Publication:

Northampton : Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022.

Summary:

"Taking an innovative look at the origins of economics, this forward-thinking book relocates economics from a materialistic general theory of rational action into an idealistic theory of social organization and individual action. Adding new insightful analytical methods such as complexity theory, graph theory and computational modelling to the original insights of the Scottish Enlightenment, Richard Wagner explores economics in an ever-changing society, looking at the key civilizing processes and the important social questions. Rethinking Economics as Social Theory moves away from the traditional review of analytical exercises and associated data and illustrates an enlightening scheme of thought where human societies are heterogeneous and not homogeneous and where change is continually in motion. Furthermore, Wagner theorises that economizing is a universal form of human action that plays out in numerous substantive directions and shows cooperation and conflict to have a yin-and-yang relationship. This illuminating book will prove an excellent resource for economists interested in working outside of comparative statics as well as social scientists looking for a broader vision of economics. Philosophers and those working in the field of biological sciences will also find this an informative read"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Contents: Preface

1. Society as analytical object: Some methodological challenges

2. Systems theory and parts-to-whole relationships

3. Cooperation, conflict, and the social organization of human activity

4. Rationality and the janus-faced character of human reason

5. Markets, law, and moral imaginations: Order theory redux

6. Main street, Wall street, and city hall: Exploring their entanglement

7. Civilizing processes and the social question reprised

8. Thymology, spiritedness, and the social organization of human activity

9. Rationality within systems: How time integrates subjective and objective probability

10. A portmanteau of themes in closing

References

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781802204766 (e-book)

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.