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> Ross: 
> 
> Could you explain how you would be better placed as an economic historian 
> rather than an economist to illuminate contemporary policy issues and 
> analytical developments. . . .   My 
> "subversive function" could not be performed by historians, only by 
> economists. 
> 
> Robert Leeson 
 
Robert: 
 
My response to how I as an historian of economics am "better placed . . . 
to illuminate contemporary policy issues" than an economist would be the 
same as the response of any intellectual historian; that is to say, I am 
not "better placed," simply differently placed. While the economist may 
want to provide alternative solutions to particular issues, my only real 
"policy-oriented" interest is this: why is it that in the twentieth 
century modern society came to rely on economic science for "solutions" 
to social issues? Or put better: why is it that modern society framed its 
"issues" in ways amenable to being addressed by the social sciences? Or 
again: what is it about modern society that elevates "science" and 
thereby economics to the status previously given to the priesthood? 
 
Similarly, my response with regards to analytical developments is not 
that the historian of economics is "better" placed than the economist, 
rather simply differently placed. I am all in favor of multiple rational 
reconstructions by economists of earlier economic ideas. I write 
historical reconstructions, that's all. I would hope that if I write 
well, economists will read my historical reconstructions and possibly 
construct better rational reconstructions. But I write historical 
reconstructions to do history, not to improve economics. 
 
Ross 
 
Ross B. Emmett                Editor, HES and Co-manager CIRLA-L 
Augustana University College 
Camrose, Alberta CANADA   T4V 2R3 
voice: (403) 679-1517   fax: (403) 679-1129 
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URL: http://www.augustana.ab.ca/~emmettr 
 
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