A World Ruled by Number: William Stanley Jevons and the Rise of Mathematical Economics (Princeton Legacy Library) - Softcover

Schabas, Margaret

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691605947 ISBN 13: 9780691605944

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2014

Synopsis

If any single characteristic differentiates current, neoclassical economics from the classical economics of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, it is the use of mathematics. Pointing to the critical role of William Stanley Jevons (1835-1882), Margaret Schabas demonstrates that the advent of mathematical economics in late Victorian England resulted more from new currents in logic and the philosophy of science than from problems specific to the classical theory of value and distribution.

Jevons's Principles of Science (1874) was the first book to take issue with John Stuart Mill's faith in inductive reasoning, to assimilate George Boole's mathematical logic, and to discern many of the limitations that beset scientific inquiry. Together with a renewed appreciation for Bentham's utility calculus, these philosophical insights served to convince Jevons and his followers that the economic world is fundamentally quantitative and thus amenable to mathematical analysis.

Originally published in 1990.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

About this title

About the Author

Margaret Schabas is professor and head of philosophy at the University of British Columbia. She is the author of "The Natural Origins of Economics" and the co-editor, with Neil de Marchi, of" Economies in the Age of Newton".

Review

"Schabas has argued cogently that Jevons's economic theory was shaped by his views on logic and scientific method, and A World Ruled by Number constitutes a strong demonstration that the investigation of the development of economics gains much from a broadened perspective." (Economics and Philosophy)

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691605947
• ISBN 13: 9780691605944
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 206