Introduction to Economics and Economic Liberalism
What is Economics?
Economics, derived from the Greek words “oicos” (house) and “nomos” (law or treaty), is the management of household or family assets. In a broader sense, it refers to the administration of scarce resources.
Laws of Dialectics
What are the laws of dialectics, their stages, and the difference between Hegel’s and Marx’s dialectic?
The laws of dialectics include:
- The law of unity and struggle of opposites
- The transformation of quantitative to qualitative changes
- The law of negation of negation
The
Read MoreThe Entrepreneur: Theories and Evolution of the Concept
The Entrepreneur
Classical Economists
Richard Cantillon: Defined the entrepreneur as an individual who buys the means of production at certain prices to combine them into a product that will sell at an uncertain price in the future.
J.B. Say: Viewed the entrepreneur as an agent who combines other economic factors in an agency or production company.
Adam Smith: Considered the capitalist employer and the owner to be the same person.
Karl Marx: Equated the capitalist employer with the entrepreneur.
Alfred
Read MoreAn Examination of David Hume’s Empiricism
David Hume’s Empiricism
Key Figures in Empiricism
The three key empiricists are: Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.
Hume’s Philosophical Stances
Does Hume accept empiricism and reject innate ideas? Yes.
Does Hume accept metaphysical empiricism? No.
Hume’s Treatise on Human Nature
Hume commented that his Treatise “fell dead-born from the press” due to its poor reception.
Hume’s Academic Challenges
Hume was twice denied a philosophy chair due to his avowed opposition to religion.
Influences on Hume’s Thinking
- Newton
- The
Presocratic Philosophers: Thales, Anaximander & More
Presocratic Philosophers
Thales of Miletus (6th Century BC)
Considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Thales was the first to view the world as a manifestation of a single principle: water. He believed that water was the arche (origin) of nature, the source of all things and the beginning of life. This concept of water had both mythological (e.g., the Titan Oceanus) and ontological (e.g., the primordial sea, Tethys) dimensions. Thales’ philosophy was based on observation and considered water as
Read MoreHuman Evolution: A Journey Through the Genus Homo
Human Evolution: A Journey Through the Genus Homo
The Five Species of the Genus Homo
- Homo habilis: 2.5 million to 1.4 million years ago – (700cc cranial capacity)
- Homo erectus: 1.8 million to 300,000 years ago – (900-1200cc)
- Homo antecessor: 800,000 years ago – (1000cc)
- Homo sapiens (Neanderthal): 230,000 to 35,000 years ago – (1500cc)
- Homo sapiens sapiens (Cro-Magnon): 35,000 years ago – (1800cc)
Significance of Homo erectus
Homo erectus represents significant progress in humanization due to advancements
Read MoreKant’s Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Ethics: A Comprehensive Overview
Kant’s Theory of Knowledge
Sources of Knowledge
Our knowledge originates from two sources: sensibility and understanding. Knowledge encompasses concepts and judgments.
- Concepts: Unified representations of objects. Knowledge requires a concept to refer to a phenomenon (e.g., seeing a house).
- Judgments: Relating concepts to form judgments. Explicit knowledge is expressed through a judgment (e.g., “This is a house”).
Types of Concepts
- Empirical Concepts: Derived from experience (a posteriori) (e.g., house,