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I think that I understand why you ask the question, Ross. My 
ponderings lead me along two not entirely independent paths. 
I would identify two ways in which the concept of the economic 
agent might be defined: (1) the agent as a economic chooser, i.e., 
as an actor under conditions that we take as economic (I would use 
the following conditions: private property rights, specialization, 
use of money, and possibly free enterprise); and (2) the agent as 
a function-performer and therefore as a servant of the consumer 
role. If one is interested in (1), it seems to me that she should 
begin with writings on self-interested choices using money 
calculation. I would guess that many ancient texts have statements 
about people who fit this image. If one is interested in (2), it 
seems to me that the beginning point of the literature is the 
development of invisible hand type explanations, such as those 
provided by Adam Smith. In these explanations, individuals are 
conceived as agents of consumers in addition to their being income 
maximizers. 
 
Pat Gunning, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates 
 
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