Veblen's Rehabilitation Plan of Economic Science: Meanings of the Interdisciplinary Relations between Biology, Anthropology, and Eugenics

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03580
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Economic doctrine/Economic thought
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: Ishida Noriko 日本大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (90409144)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: ウィルソン / 調査委員会 / 効率性 / 第一次世界大戦 / 自由貿易 / 国際連盟 / 質的因果関係 / 平和

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research program tried to grasp the characteristics of T. B. Veblen’s methodology of economic science, tracing movements of his contemporary neighboring disciplines, including evolutionary sciences like anthropology and Eugenics, as well as biology. It showed that he described real people on his unique theory of human nature when he overcame the modeling of simple economic behavior in orthodox economics. It was also found out that his suggestion concerning the rehabilitation plan of economic science involved a crucial question surrounding the notion of efficiency in our economic society, and that his perspective was reflected in discussions of topical consideration like peace theory in his later life.

Free Research Field

経済学史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

消費者や企業家とは何か、市場取引とは何かとかいう発題は一種のモデル化を促す。19世紀後半以降の経済学の科学化を支えたこうした典型像は、消費者や企業家のリアルな姿、市場取引が社会福祉に正邪様々な影響をもたらす様相を覆い隠す傾向があった。この側面を初めて浮き彫りにしたことはヴェブレンの経済学再建構想の学術的意義である。また、効率性の概念が伸縮自在だという彼の認識は社会的意義も有している。効率性は金もうけの視点で評価されるか、もの作りの視点で評価されるかでまったく異なる結果を生むことがあり、希少資源や産業技術の共有、合意にもとづいた途上国開発などの今日的主題にも深い洞察を与えるはずだからである。