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Date: | Fri Mar 31 17:18:25 2006 |
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====================== HES POSTING ======================
Regarding Robin Neill's first point in today's posting:
The difference between the history of a nation state and
the history of economics is this. The NATION STATE refers
to a particular form of political organization --
a particular structure of rights, in the broadest sense.
ECONOMICS refers to a social-intellectual interaction among
distinctly human actors. The rise of the nation state
and the progress of economics are two distinctly different
ideas. To see this, we need to ask: nation state as opposed
to what? economics as opposed to what? As an historian,
one aims to explain "observable facts" in terms of the
perceptions and understandings of the individuals who are
deemed relevant to those facts. In this sense, the history
of each is similar. But I think it is obvious that the
"observable facts" should be placed in different classes.
Regarding the second point: "A theory has application to
all items of a certain class or kind [q = f(p) [cet. par.],
for any individual consumer.], without reference to a
particular time in history. (Ah! You see the point.).
A thesis has application to only one set of events in some
particular time and place." Notice that Neill uses the
modifier "a" before the term "theory (or thesis)." One
who was familiar with Mises's THEORY AND HISTORY would
not use the term "theory" in this way. Theory means a
way of organizing the "observable facts" by referring to
the perceptions and understandings of the distinctly
human beings whose choices played a causal role in their
existence. Time is a necessary part of theory, defined
in this sense.
And, good grief, what is a "Whig view" of how history is
(or ought to be) done?
Pat Gunning
http://stsvr.showtower.com.tw/~gunning/welcome
http://web.nchulc.edu.tw/~gunning/pat/welcome
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