Economics Philosophy and Physics

This book traces the relationship between ideas and methodological perspectives in economics to the fields of philosophy and the physical sciences. It is aimed at students of economics who want to learn about the philosophical underpinnings and scientific foundations of contemporary economic theory. The authors show how advances in scientific knowledge have had an impact on philosophy that in turn influenced the development of economic thought. List of Figures, Acknowledgments, Introduction, Chapter 1 Newtonian Physics, Philosophy, and Economics, Chapter 2 The Romantic Protest against the Newtonian Mechanistic World View, Chapter 3 Thermodynamics and the Newtonian World View, Chapter 4 Relativity, Philosophy, and Economics, Chapter 5 Quantum Mechanics, Philosophy, and Economics, Chapter 6 Chaos Theory, Philosophy, and Economics, Chapter 7 The Revolutions in Physics and the Future of Economics, Bibliography, Index