A Critique of Economics : Doctrinal and Methodological (Classic Reprint)

Foundations of Economic Thought offers a bold, rigorous critique of how economics is built, from valuation to production.

This work presents a methodical restatement of problems in economic science and argues for a disciplined approach to understanding price, distribution, and the laws that guide economic life. It blends historical perspective with a careful analysis of theory, aiming to illuminate how economic ideas have developed as a science. The book is divided into two parts: a critique of core economic principles and a critique of economic methodology. It emphasizes reading the chapters in a specific order and frames the inquiry as tentative and exploratory, rather than final or dogmatic. Expect discussions that connect economic ideas to broader questions about science, inference, and social inquiry, with careful attention to how concepts like value and cost are interpreted.

• A patient, historical look at economics as a science and the beliefs that shaped its early development
• Examination of valuation, price, distribution, and production as central topics
• Discussion of how economic methods relate to inference, law, and causation