The Historical Epistemology of Economics

The authors introduce the historical epistemology of economics as a broad historical approach for exploring the production of economic knowledge in particular historical settings. Instead of following the evolution of economic theories, historical epistemology addresses the practices economists rely on, the tools they work with, the material settings they work in, and the kinds of professional identities they adopt. Structured around the three themes of historicity, practices, and persons, the Element's sections illustrate this approach through a set of short, closely researched studies and commentaries. The authors demonstrate how historical epistemology discloses new ways of telling the history of economics, going beyond economists' own stories about their discipline. Historical epistemology emerges as a multifaceted and critical perspective that highlights contingency, practice, and lived experience. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.