Saether Natural Law and the Origin of Political Economy

Samuel Pufendorf and the History of Economics
Erscheinungsjahr 2017
ISBN: 978-1-317-20769-6
Verlag: CRC Press
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 308 Seiten

Reihe: Routledge Studies in the History of Economics

Samuel Pufendorf’s work on natural law and political economy was extensive and has been cited by several important figures in the history of economic thought. Yet his name is rarely mentioned in textbooks on the history of economic thought, the history of political science or the history of philosophy. In this unprecedented study, Arild Sæther sheds new light both on Pufendorf’s own life and work, as well as his influence on his contemporaries and on later scholars.

This book explores Pufendorf’s doctrines of political economy and his work on natural law, which was translated into several major European languages. Natural Law and the Origins of Political Economy considers the influence he had on the writings on political economy of John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Francis Hutcheson and Adam Smith, amongst others. If Smith can be called the father of modern economics, this book claims that Pufendorf can be called the grandfather.

This volume is of great importance to those who study Pufendorf’s extensive works, as well as those interested in history of economic thought, political economy and political philosophy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Saether, Arild

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Volkswirtschaftslehre Allgemein Wirtschaftstheorie, Wirtschaftsphilosophie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction

Part I: Childhood and Education

- Pufendorf’s Childhood - Turbulent Times

- University Education in Leipzig and Jena

- A Creative Imprisonment in Copenhagen

Part II: A True European

- Academic Career

- A Champion of the Enlightenment

Part III: Doctrines of Political Economy

- Method of Analysis

- Theory of Human Behaviour

- Private Property and the Four-Stages Theory

- Theories of Value, Money and Trade

- The Foundation of States and Council Decisions

- Division of State Powers and Principles of Taxation

Part IV: Diffusion of Pufendorf’s Economic Ideas

- A Great Populariser

- John Locke an Admirer of Pufendorf

Part V: Early French Philosophers and Pufendorf

- The First French Followers

- Charles Montesquieu – A Great Philosopher

- Jean-Jacques Rousseau – A Political Thinker

- The First Economic Model Builders

Part VI: Scottish Followers of Pufendorf

- Gershom Carmichael Brought Pufendorf to Scotland

- Francis Hutcheson a User of Pufendorf

- Pufendorf as a Predecessor of Adam Smith

Part V: How could Pufendorf be Overlooked?

- The Bedevilled Historians

- Have Economists Overlooked Pufendorf?

- Pufendorf the Grandfather of Political Economy

Über Autor(innen)

Arild Sæther is Professor Emeritus from University of Agder, Norway. He has worked for two and a half years as a Professor of European Economic Integration in Maastricht, Netherlands, and three years as Director of EuroFaculty Tartu-Riga-Vilnius. Sæther has published books on economic theory and a number of journal articles. For over 20 years his main area of research has been the history of economic thought.