Defending the history of economic thought
By: Steven Kates
Contributors: Edward Elgar Publishing
Publisher: Edward Elgar Pub. Ltd.; Elgar Publishing, Incorporated, Edward
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Cheltenham, England; Northampton, Massachusetts
Language: eng
Number of pages: 140
ISBN-13: 9781848448209; 9781782547815
Subjects: Economics; History
Description: This book explains the importance of the history of economic thought in the curriculum of economists, whereas most discussions of this kind are devoted only to explaining why such study is of value simply to the individual economist. Steven Kates reaches out past the individual to explain the crucial importance of the history of economic thought in the study of economics itself; without its history at the core of the curriculum, he contends, economics is a lesser subject, less penetrating, less interesting and of much less social value. The author argues that it is the orientation that historians of economic thought give to economics in general that may be one of HETs greatest virtues, with the mainstream continuously challenged because historians of economics keep bringing other, perhaps wrongly neglected, economic traditions into the conversation. This book clarifies not just why anyone who wishes to understand economic theory must understand the history of economics but also, and much more importantly, why the history of economic thought must be preserved as a core component within the economics curriculum if economic theory is to progress. This fascinating and thought-provoking book will prove invaluable reading for academics, researchers, lecturers and students across the expansive economics field.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 133-136) and index.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Table of contents: title: 1. Preliminary thoughts; title: 2. Why study the history of economic thought; title: 3. Debating the role of the history of economic thought; title: 4. Teaching the history of economic thought; title: 5. Defending the history of economic thought.