Dealing with the roots of German historicist and organistic thought in economics, this work argues that this approach is of significance for present-day institutional economics, especially in the field of environmental and resource economics. These fields of study are referred to in various ways. The ideas of the German Historical School are discussed. The scope of the work, however, is broader, as it is orientated towards the evolution of historistic and organistic ideas in general. This means that the ideas of authors like Menger, Georgescu-Roegen, and those who were among the "institutionalists" and other present-day writers in this field are also examined.