----------------- HES POSTING -----------------
The first time I heard the term "thin" to describe anything was in Rawls's "Theory of
Justice." Rawls uses the term to apply to a thin theory of the good which was all he
needed for the first two thirds of his book. There is no negative connotation for his
usage that I can detect. In part III, he needs a "full" or "comprehensive" theory of the
good for the purposes of that part of his work. See pages 397ff. With regard to the
history of economics, it is Rawls usage which I had in mind when I read recent comments
about thin and thick histories. Both may be useful and serve different purposes.
Jim Wible
University of New Hampshire
------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------
For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]