“Applying Mathematics to Economics According to Cournot and Walras.” (European Journal of the History of Economic Thought

This article examines the reasons that led Cournot to refuse Walras's request that he writes an article defending mathematical economics. From a reading of Cournot's works on philosophy and economics we show three reasons which explain the Cournot's refusal. First, Cournot does not at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European journal of the history of economic thought 2018, Vol.25, p.73-105
Main Author: Ragni, Ludovic
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Economics and Finance
History, Philosophy and Sociology of Sciences
Humanities and Social Sciences
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article examines the reasons that led Cournot to refuse Walras's request that he writes an article defending mathematical economics. From a reading of Cournot's works on philosophy and economics we show three reasons which explain the Cournot's refusal. First, Cournot does not attach the same importance to the theorems proposed by Walras. Second, these theorems enable Walras to defend an economic system that he considers to be truer than any other while Cournot believed that the economy could be subject to various forms of mathematical representations. Third, Cournot does not refer to the same conception of mathematics of Walras.
ISSN:0967-2567
1469-5936