Evolutionary Social Theory and Political Economy

Clifford S. Poirot Jr. received his PhD in Economics in 1992 from the University of Utah. He has published several articles on Evolutionary Economics. He has taught at several institutions. He is currently teaching courses in both Economics and Political Science at Shawnee State University. He has been at Shawnee State since 1999.

Introduction



Goal and Purpose of this Study



Scope and Method of this Study



Plan of this Study

1: The Origins of Evolutionary Social Theory



Introduction



Natural Philosophy and the Newtonian World View



Civil, or Moral Philosophy



Philosophical History and Political Economy in the Scottish and French Enlightenment



Conclusion

2: The Development of Evolutionary Social Theory: 1815-1871



Introduction



Philosophy of Science in the Early and Mid-19th Century



Evolutionary Theory: Biological and Social before Darwin



The Trajectory of Political Economy



Darwin’s Biology



The Ramifications of Darwin’s Theories



Conclusion

3: Social Evolutionism and Political Economy after Darwin



Introduction



Darwin’s Impact on Philosophy of Science



The More General Theory of Sociology



The End of Political Economy: Marx, Marshall and Veblen



Conclusion

4: The Dénouement of Evolutionary Social Theory






Introduction



Philosophy of Science in the Early and Mid-20th Century



Evolutionary Social Theory: Marginalization and Reaction in the Social Sciences



Conclusion

5: The Resurrection of Evolutionary Social Theory: Back to the Center?






Introduction



Philosophy of Science: Neo-Positivism



Ontology and Epistemology: Critical Realism and Critical Common Sensism



Contemporary Evolutionary Biology: An Overview



Biology and Evolutionary Social Theory



Toward the Neo-Evolutionary Synthesis



Conclusion

6: Conclusion