======================= HES POSTING ================= Arrow has a discussion which bears on our Polanyi thread. He would probably come down in the midpoint of our debates. I thought that the list might be interested in some of his references which reflect the fact that the participants at the time -- and a bit later -- thought that the extension of market society was a very novel event in human history. Arrow, Kenneth J. 1997. "Invaluable Goods." Journal of Economic Literature, 35: 2 (June): pp. 736-65. One more point: Some of the discussion (Tony Brewer, Larry Moss) emphasize the voluntary and spontaneous nature of the creation of markets. My supposedly outdated marxist tendencies prompt me to mention that this extension also involved changing the rules and the exercise of force (say, the enclosures) -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [log in to unmask] ============ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ============ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]