Lonergan's Discovery of the Science of Economics

Bernard Lonergan's economic writings span forty years and contain ideas that differ radically from those of his contemporaries. His theory of macroeconomic dynamics was developed through the 1930s and 1940s, culminating in the composition of For a New Political Economy (1942) and An Essay in Circulation Analysis (1944). In Lonergan's Discovery of the Science of Economics, Michael Shute uses archival material in order to examine the influence of Lonergan's early work in methodology, social philosophy, and theology on the development of his economic theory. Shute traces the development of Lonergan's economic ideas from the late 1920s to the publication of his significant economic works in the 1940s. Together with its companion volume, Lonergan's Early Economic Research, this volume outlines the process behind one of the great intellectual discoveries of the twentieth century and uncovers Lonergan's framework for a genuine science of economics.

Bernard Lonergan's economic writings span forty years and contain ideas that differ radically from those of his contemporaries. His theory of macroeconomic dynamics was developed through the 1930s and 1940s, culminating in the composition of For a New Political Economy (1942) and An Essay in Circulation Analysis (1944).

In Lonergan's Discovery of the Science of Economics, Michael Shute uses archival material in order to examine the influence of Lonergan's early work in methodology, social philosophy, and theology on the development of his economic theory. Shute traces the development of Lonergan's economic ideas from the late 1920s to the publication of his significant economic works in the 1940s. Together with its companion volume, Lonergan's Early Economic Research, this volume outlines the process behind one of the great intellectual discoveries of the twentieth century and uncovers Lonergan's framework for a genuine science of economics.

Contents 5 Abbreviations 7 Preface 11 Introduction: Lonergan’s Interest in Economics 15 1. The Initial Viewpoint 37 2. Economics in the Context of Catholic Action: The Quest for a Practical Theory of History 81 3. Real Analysis and the Analytic Concept of History 105 4. Interlude: Grace, History, and the World Order of Emergent Probability 125 5. The Breakthrough to Economic Science: The Production Process 140 6. The Breakthrough to Economic Science: The Structure of Exchange 168 7. Developments after For a New Political Economy 198 8. Further Contexts 236 Bibliography 263 Index 297 Michael Shute. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [249]-282) And Index.