Political economy in transition: From classical humanism to commercial society - Robert Wallace of Edinburgh
Peterson, Dean James
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/22000
Description
Title
Political economy in transition: From classical humanism to commercial society - Robert Wallace of Edinburgh
Author(s)
Peterson, Dean James
Issue Date
1994
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Rashid, Salim
Department of Study
Economics
Discipline
Economics
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Biography
History, European
Economics, General
Language
eng
Abstract
This thesis studies the advance of economic thought in eighteenth century Scotland through an examination of the life and works of Robert Wallace. It proceeds on two distinct but interrelated levels. On one level, it focuses on the growth of positive economic theories with special emphasis on theories of economic development, such as population, public credit, specialization, and the expansion of trade. On a second level, it deals with the transition in attitudes on policy, outlining a cultural transformation from the civic ideology of Andrew Fletcher to the commercialism of Adam Smith. This level focuses upon the development of a disposition sanctioning inequality in property distribution, thereby defending the existence of a bourgeois class.
Robert Wallace was a distinguished member of the Scottish literati. His position in the two dominant institutions of the time, the Church and the University, enabled him to influence intellectual thought and public opinion. He lectured in mathematics at the University of Edinburgh and was appointed Minister of Edinburgh for the Church of Scotland. As a member of the Edinburgh Philosophic Society, the Rankenian Club and the Select Society, Wallace joined in discourse and debate with other prominent men of letters such as Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, Adam Smith, William Robertson, and Lord Kames.
Wallace's extensive writings provide a uniquely broad view of the ideas and values of eighteenth century Scotland. Wallace's works explore changes in both the theories and the attitudes which are the subject of this inquiry. Wallace's Dissertation on the Numbers of Mankind, which included tables depicting a geometric progression in population growth, was recognized by subsequent population theorists, including Malthus, as the seminal work in the field.
This thesis examines the progression of economic thought within a broad cultural setting reflecting a decidedly relativist approach. In the tradition of Weber, it explores the impact of protestantism on society's acceptance of commercialization. Finally, the civic humanist and jurisprudential paradigms (developed by Pocock and others) are employed to frame the ideological debate on the desirability of a commercial society.
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