Philosophy and Economics

Fall 98, Wednesday 5-7 p.m. Baldy 684

Barry Smith (611 Baldy Hall, tel. 645 2444 Ext. 711, phismith@acsu.buffalo.edu)

Guido Hülsmann (620 Baldy Hall, tel. 886 5096, jghuelsmann@compuserve.com)

Office hours by appointment

Schedule

Date
Subject
Literature
R
9-2
 Subject and Relevance of Economics * Bastiat, "What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen"

Friedman, There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, LaSalle/Ill., 1975. HC106.6.F77

Hazlitt, Economics in One Lesson, New York, 1994. HB171.H445
 

 

 GH
9-9
 Schools of Economic Thought; History of Economic Ideas Austrian: Mises, Human Action, New Haven, 1949.

Rothbard, Man, Economy, and State, Los Angeles, 1971. HB171.R68

Hoppe, The Economics and Ethics of Private Property, Boston, 1993.

 Chicago: Knight, Risk, Uncertainty, and Profit, Boston, 1921. HB601.K7

Friedman, Essays in Positive Economics, Chicago, 1953.

Becker, Economic Approach to Huamn Behavior, Chicago, 1976. HB71.B43

 Classical: Ricardo, Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, London, 1969. HB161.R49

Say, Traitise of Political Economy, Paris, 1841. HB163.S25

 Keynesian: Keynes, General Theory of Money, Interest, and Employment, New York, 1936. HB171.K36

Samuelson, Economics, New York, 1989. HB171.5.S25

 Lausanne: Walras, Elements of Pure Economics, Homewood/Ill., 1954. HB173.W2213

Pareto, Manual of Political Economy, New York, 1971. HB177.P2913

Debreu, Theory of Value, New Haven, 1987. HB221.D38

 Marxist: Marx, Capital, New York, 1977, HB501.M36 		GH
9-16
 The Philosophy of the Social Sciences BS
9-23
 The Economics of Epistemology * Hoppe, "The Praxeological Foundations of Epistemology" GH
9-30
 Taxation and Public Goods * Hoppe, The Economics and Ethics of Private Property, chap. 1

Rothbard, Man, Economy, and State

 		GH
10-7
 Apriorism; Aristotelianism; the Nature of Economic Laws Smith, "Aristotle, Menger, Mises: An Essay in the Metaphysics of Economics"

* Smith, "In Defense of Extreme (Fallibilistic) Apriorism"

Mises, Epistemological Problems of Economics, Princeton, 1960. HB175.V643

 		BS
10-14
 The Economics of Value and Taste * Fetter, "Choice and Value", Economics, New York, 1915. HB171.F4 BS
10-21
 Economics and Cognitive Science; Economic Knowledge * Smith, "The Connectionist Mind: A Study of Hayekian Psychology" BS
10-28
 Charles Adams, "The Meaning of Taxation"   GH
11-4
 Economic Knowledge and Economic Theory * Hülsmann, "Knowledge, Judgement, and the Use of Property"

Hayek, Individualism and Economic Order, Chicago, 1948. HB34.H3

Kirzner, The Meaning of Market Process, New York, 1992. HB98.K56

 		GH
11-11
 Banking, Public Debts, and Political Unification * Hülsmann, "Political Unification: A Generalized Progression Theorem" GH
11-18
 The Size and Shape of Nations; Alternatives to the Nation State; War and Secession * Smith, "The Cognitive Geometry of War"

Gordon, ed., Secession, State, and Liberty

 		BS
11-25
 Property Economics and the General Theory of Error Cycles  * Mises, Human Action, chap. XXV

Hülsmann, "A General Theory of Error Cycles"

 		GH
12-2
 The Economics of Crime and Punishment

Guest: Isaac Ehrlich  

   GH
12-9
 Law and Economics

Guest: Leonardo Zaibert 

 Alchian, Economic Forces at Work, Indianapolis, 1977.

Coase, "The Problem of Social Cost", Journal of Law and Economics, 1960.

Demsetz, "The Exchange and Enforcement of Property Rights", Journal of Law and Economics, 1964

Posner, Economc Analysis of the Law, Boston, 1992. KF385.P65

Rothbard, The Ethics of Liberty, New York, 1998.

 GH
Readings marked * in the above are required for all participants in the course, and will be available in the Philosophy and Economics Department Libraries. Students are encouraged to make copies. Other items are listed as supplementary background reading or for purposes of general orientation.

The grade for the class will be calculated as follows: class participation (33%), written essay, to be handed in on December 9 (67%).