Calculation in kind and marketless socialism: On Otto Neurath's utopian economics

Abstract

Otto Neurath is notorious amongst economists for his plans for a socialist economy with calculation in kind in place of a market. This paper considers the common criticism of “utopianism” from an immanent point of view. To do so, it will first be established in what Neurath recognized a negative sense of utopianism that was opposed to his own self-confessed “scientific utopianism”. Then it will be considered in what respect, if any, Neurath's stance in the socialist calculation debate can be shown to be objectionably utopian in this sense by the counter-arguments put forward by Ludwig von Mises.     

风景建筑五说

总结了笔者多年从事风景建筑设计的若干思考,讨论了风景建筑设计的相关问题。从建筑教育中对待城市及景观的态度论及建筑师的自然观,继而从风景建筑选址、场所感营造、地形地貌处理、建筑师对待遗存的态度、建筑的体量感及中心性控制、建筑风格与形式,以及风景建筑的材料选择与建构逻辑等方面展开论述,最后从方法论视角探讨了风景建筑设计的2种途径：哲学的途径和体验的途径。     

Why rationality may be a consequence of Hume's theory of choice

Facing R. Sugden's criticism of our interpretation, it is shown in this paper that rationality appears as a possible consequence of Hume's theory of choice. We first argue that Sugden's dismissal of the preference relation from the type of rationality through which Hume's theory is apprehended, is highly disputable, from the point of view of both standard choice theory and Hume's theory of passions. Nonetheless, Sugden's criterion of rationality might be restated in Humean terms as a condition of non-revision of preferences in the dynamics of passions. But, since the process of choice that we have described explicitly takes into account the revision of preferences, and shows that, when this last is no longer required, rationality occurs as an outcome of this process, it is not really concerned by Sugden's criticism.     

Thoreau's economic philosophy

Abstract

This paper provides an encompassing portrayal of Thoreau's economic thought. It is analyzed against the background of the history of economic thought and the economic thinking of his time. Thoreau's economic thought is an extensive examination of the ideas of classical political economy, and particularly of Jean-Baptiste Say, and it is a fundamental critique thereof. Thoreau recognizes that some aspects and foundations of the modern conception of the economy lead to an alienation of the human being from itself as well as to an alienation from nature. I demonstrate that this critique is a result of Thoreau's specific approach to the economy, which, based on his particular understanding of the human being and his philosophy of nature, seeks the meaning of the economy for human life and for nature. In this philosophical approach, which I characterize as an economic philosophy, Thoreau's deeper defiance of classical political economy and his original place within the history of economic thought are grounded. It leads Thoreau to an alternative conception of an economy of moderation, which is identified and described in detail. I conclude with considerations on the potential meaning of Thoreau's thought for current economic research.     

The Work Ethic in Industrial America, 1850–1920

Clarence Ayres wished to avoid moral relativism or agnosticism in the social sciences, yet he also rejected what he called the “transcendental” epistemology of classical philosophy, an epistemology grounded in the desire to know absolute or ultimate truths. He wanted to find a middle ground between absolutism and relativism by separating “technology” from “ceremony,” and by replacing the ends/means dichotomy with an ends/means continuum. This paper examines his articulation of the issues, and in this context also examines the work of two more recent theorists, Gary Becker and Richard Posner. We conclude that Ayres' epistemological middle ground remains elusive.     

生态审美视野中的中国古典诗歌

中国的古人们一直重视和追求人与自然的和谐相处,在古代即拥有今日之所谓生态美学研究的丰富资源,特别是以中国古代山水诗为代表的文学作品呈现出的自然观及生态伦理意识,对于古人们保护生态环境,维持自然生态平衡起着重要作用,同时也启发今天的人们从生态审美的新角度,对人与自然的相处、人类的生存环境等问题进行哲学美学思考,从而重新发现和审视大自然的美,亲近大自然。     

Jan Tinbergen: A Quatitative Economist ∗

This paper sees a systematic unity between Smith's theological view and scientific study of society. Smith's theological outlook as to a benevolent deity is grasped as a metaphysical doctrine in his system of social science. It arises from the fact that while Smith's opinion concerning God's attributes is established, in the first instance, on the basis of his empirical study of nature, it also stands irrespective of other facts which are not in line with the patterns of order and design. Smith's metaphysical proposition as such is methodologically suggestive in that it proposes theoretical possibilities for progress and harmony and rules out the features of conflict at the analytic level. This implies a difficulty in subscribing to a conventional interpretation that introduces the “two Smiths's” view (the duality of his method and vision).     

On the Econ within

This essay examines the critique of behavioral economics that Infante, Lecouteaux and Sugden (ILS) offer in:"Preference Purification and the Inner Rational Agent.” It identifies and questions three main criticisms that ILS make: (i) a methodological criticism, alleging that there is no psychological basis for the attribution of purified preferences, (ii) an epistemological criticism, alleging that there is little evidence for claims about purified preferences, and (iii) a normative criticism, arguing that policies should aim to facilitate people’s choices rather than to satisfy purified preferences. The essay also distinguishes the view of welfare economics defended in Preference, Value, Choice, and Welfare from the claims of behavioral economists ILS criticize.     

David Hume's model of man: Classical political economy as “inspired” political economy

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyse David Hume's model of man. We show that three major elements characterize his representation of man: first the weaknesses and limitations of human rationality; second, the psychological foundations of human behaviour, with a particular focus on the role of association in human cognition; and third, the collective dimension of individual learning through a process of communication based on sympathy. Therefore, we show that the theory of human nature and human cognition Hume proposes is different from the narrow view of man as homo ?conomicus that is used by mainstream economists.     

Improving Faculty Evaluation and Reward Systems

Inefficient faculty resource allocation, from both the faculty's and the administration's point of view, is a major focus of Needham's discussion. The author states “… the system of rewards and penalties confronting faculty members at the majority of U.S. educational institutions of higher learning is vaguely specified, ambiguous, and consistent with a wide variety of faculty behaviors.” Proposals to make evaluation and reward systems operational and output-oriented are set forth as means to clarify the faculty member's options and the administrator's methods of control.     

马克思的世界观与《资本论》的方法论

在一个语言模式、话语体系、文化形态越来越决定资源配置、利益机制、发展方向的时代,中国的发展不仅需要科学发展观来引领,而且需要科学历史观和科学世界观来提升。在这里,科学的基本含义是以人的批判、探索、发现、创造等活动为基本内容的社会实践,"以人为本"的基本含义是以全人类、或大多数人或人民大众的利益为本。马克思的世界观与《资本论》的方法论本质上是彻底的"以人为本"的世界观和方法论。     

The future of the working classes: a comparison between J.S. Mill and A. Marshall

Abstract

Both J. S. Mill and A. Marshall had a lifelong interest in the living conditions of the working classes and theorized the possibility of a new age, characterized by a widespread mental and moral cultivation. This paper compares the precise arguments put forward by them in the period ranging from Mill's to Marshall's Principles, against the background of the evidence of social and human progress at their times. It is argued that, at different stages and with different specific arguments, their predictions relied on self-reinforcing mechanisms, in which a better life was the cause, no less than the effect, of progress. In order to make similarities and differences more transparent from a logical point of view, two simple mathematical formulations are proposed.     

国家公园管护员制度的国际比较 研究

国家公园管护员制度既是生态环境实地保护的重要 保障，也是满足社区发展、访客游憩服务管理等人类利用需求 的重要手段，对于协调国家公园人与自然关系、实现“人与自 然和谐相处”具有重要意义。针对中国国家公园管护员制度 尚处起步阶段的现状，通过国际比较研究，对比美国、澳大利 亚、新西兰、日本、乌干达、英国国家公园管护员制度特征， 提出我国国家公园管护员制度建设的6项建议：明确原则定 位、坚持文化认同、优化管理体系、注重能力提升、建设执法 队伍、强化科研服务。     

Vernon Smith's Explanation of Moral Sentiments

This paper is a comment on Vernon Smith's paper, Adam Smith: from propriety and sentiments to property and wealth. This paper argues that while Vernon Smith is correct in his analysis that Adam Smith's theory of human nature, as expressed in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, provides a much more accurate model of behavior than does that of utility maximization, Vernon Smith's analysis can be much enriched by including a more complete explanation of Adam Smith's model of human behavior to include an analysis of prudence, justice, beneficence, and self-command.     

On some ‘Austrian’ misreadings of Cantillon's notions of intrinsic value and market price

The article clarifies some aspects of the Cantillonian notions of intrinsic value and of market prices. Furthermore, the major flaws of the ‘Austrian’ interpretations put forward in recent years by Rothbard and Thornton are highlighted. This criticism provides an additional dimension to the view already expressed by Groenewegen against the new edition of Cantillon's Essai by Thornton. Finally, the connection between the Essai and mature classical economics is highlighted and the proposed ‘Austrian’ interpretation of Cantillon is strongly rejected.     

Re-orienting the New (International) Political Economy

This commentary on Neil Smith's Uneven Development revisits his production of nature thesis and uses it as a jumping off point to explore how human bodies matter in contemporary capitalism. It argues that human bodies are increasingly subsumed within capitalism in ways that go beyond the roles of humans as labourers and purchasers of goods and services in a system of commodities producing commodities. Bodies are also treated as property, transportation and as conditions of production within circuits of capitalisms. Bodies also absorb the externalities and excesses of production and provide new spaces of accumulation in their degradation.     

Confidence in Keynes and Hayek: Reply to Burczak

We agree with Burczak's identification of the crucial issues. We disagree with his interpretation of them. We expand our defense of the claim that Keynes was a rationalist. We introduce the "horizon principle" to critize Keynes' dichotomy between short-term and long-term expectations. We question the statistical simile guiding some Post Keynesian dsiscussions of uncertainty. We point to the role of evolution in shaping conventions that fit the economic environment in a world with novel events. We think the evidence favors our view over Burczak's. Finally, we put in a plea for framing the issues in a way that facilitates empirical testing.     

How to build market societies: The paradoxes of neoliberal revolution

Neil Smith's Uneven Development has had profound impacts on the way geographers have come to understand questions related to space and nature. In this short piece I explain what UD brings to a longstanding literature and set of debates that is commonly named ‘the Agrarian Question’ and revolves around agriculture's unique relationship to capitalist relations of production. Smith's distinctive approach that sees nature and space as produced by capitalist relations of production helps resolve some of the longstanding debates within the study of agriculture. While this piece applies the production of nature thesis to one particular social scientific field, I hope it points to the currency and significance of this understanding for many other academic fields and for political economy more generally.     

Interdependence and independence in Cantillon's Essai

Abstract

Cantillon's contribution to economic thought is widely understood to lie in his systematic examination of economic interconnectedness. The model developed here brings profits fully into price determination, casts additional light on Cantillon's treatment of distribution, and provides the first extended analysis of the policy recommendations found in part one of his Essai. These anti-urban policies are examined in relation to French urbanization and William Petty's analysis of Irish economic development.

Entrepreneurial risk-bearing is central to the Essai and this model, yet for Cantillon landlord tastes determine the economy's equilibrium position. This view is mirrored in his treatment of class mobility: only by becoming landed proprietors can entrepreneurs escape dependence and become independent or autonomous determiners of society. Indeed, social mobility actually accounts for the ‘independence’ of the landed proprietors as a group. Rent's special role stems not so much from the nature of land or agriculture – as Physiocracy would emphasize – as from the nature of the social forces determining its ownership.     

Teaching about the American Economy in the People's Republic of China

Based on extensive personal observation and study, the author provides a view of how economic education about American economic institutions and practices takes place and is developing in the People's Republic of China.