A World Ruled by Number
eBook - PDF

A World Ruled by Number

William Stanley Jevons and the Rise of Mathematical Economics

  1. 206 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

A World Ruled by Number

William Stanley Jevons and the Rise of Mathematical Economics

About this book

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.

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Yes, you can access A World Ruled by Number by Margaret Schabas in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Economics & Economic History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Preface
  4. 1. Mathematical Pursuits
  5. 2. Jevons's Life
  6. 3. The Mathematical Theory of Economics
  7. 4. Logic and Scientific Method
  8. 5. Markets and Mechanics
  9. 6. Response to the Theory
  10. 7. Mathematical Economics Takes Hold
  11. 8. Mathematical Hegemony
  12. Notes
  13. Select Bibliography
  14. Index