James P. Henderson – författare

This collection explores emerging areas in the history of economics and provides a valuable insight into contemporary research in the field. The papers focus on four areas:* Science and Economics. Authors investigate how science is perceived and how its history is related, details early history of probability and examine 'cyberpunk' - a science fiction genre that draws heavily on modern economic ideas* David Ricardo's contribution to international trade theory. Texts by David Ricardo are re-examined to provide a framework for a more consistent and coherent interpretation of Ricardo and to demonstrate how history of economic thought approaches can be applied to the treatment of current theory and policy concerns* The contributions of individual economists including Joseph A. Schumpeter, Werner Sombart and John Maynard Keynes and a comparison of Hicks' and Lindahl's views on monetary stability* Economics and events before Adam Smith. An investigation into English policies toward Ireland at the time of Cromwell's occupation is followed by explorations of the ideas of Vincent de Gourney and debates in French economic journals in the period 1750-1770.

Convinced that Ricardian concept of political economy, dominant among his contempories, was based on unscientific doctrines and dubious moral conclusions, William Whewell and his followers sought to transform scientific knowledge and to reform British education by applying mathematics to economics. James P. Henderson's comprehensive study argues that Whewell developed a strategy to challenge the growing dominance of the Ricardian paradigm by highlighting the errors in its deductive reasoning. Whewell's views on scientific methodology, moral philosophy, and educational doctrine influenced several generations of prominent mathematical economists, including Edward Rogers, Col. T. Perronet Thompson, John Edward Tozer, Sir John William Lubbock, and Dionysius Lardner. Along with Richard Jones, Whewell was instrumental in developing an inductive political economy based upon careful historical and statistical research. This study of Whewell's contributions to mathematical economics is important reading for students and scholars of economics and political economy.