The Nature of the Economy

This book explores the deep meaning—the nature or essence—of the economy and its fundamental components. As a monograph on the philosophy of the economy and economics, it deduces the metaphysical nature of these two, going step by step from more general to more specific realities to finally arrive at the adequate features of the economic sciences and their methods. It builds on a largely Aristotelian approach, but also draws extensively from modern scholarship in the area. Usefully and pertinently, the book covers both general aspects of the economy and particular historically specific features. Among the important topics covered in the book are the meanings of the economy, the nature and role of economic agents, the nature of the macroeconomy, the nature and role of money, and so on. The book concludes with chapters on the nature of economics itself and its methodologies.

Ricardo F. Crespo is Professor of Philosophy of Economics at IAE, Universidad Austral, and Researcher at the Argentine Council of Scientific Research. He is a graduate in economics and philosophy and earned a Ph. D. in Philosophy (Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina) and another in Economics (University of Amsterdam). He has extensively published articles and chapter books on his research topics. Recent publications of him include articles in Synthese, the Journal of Institutional Economics, Foundations of Science, Cambridge Journal of Economics, and the Journal of Applied Economics. His last book is The Nature and Method of Economic Sciences. Evidence, Causality, and Ends (Routledge, London, 2020). His current research interests include explanation in the social sciences, economic rationality, and ethics in economics.