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The present volume seeks to inaugurate a new discussion of two schools of historical thought by social scientists, economists, and phi losophers in the English language. The tradition of the "Historical and Ethical School of Economics" established by Friedrich List, Wilhelm Roscher, and Gustav Schmollerand the tradition of historism in the hu manities represented by Wilhelm Dilthey are examined not so much for their own historical interest as for their potential systematic contribu tion to the contemporary debates on business ethics, economics, sociol ogy, and philosophy. The book contains the proceedings of the 1994 SEEP-Conference on Economics and Ethics held under the title "Economics and Ethics in the Historical School of Economics. Achievements and Present Relevance. Part A: The Older Historical School, Schmoller, Dilthey, and Others" with the financial support of the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, Cologne, at Kloster Marlenrode near Hitdesheim and Hannover, Gennany, on March 23rd to 27th, 1994. The SEEP-Conferences on Economics and Ethics are organised an nually by the editor and the editorial board of Studies in Economic Ethics and Philosophy (SEEP). The 1994 SEEP-Conference was the frrst of two conferences on the Historical School and will be followed by a conference in 1996 on the topic "Economics and Ethics in the His torical School of Economics. Achievements and Present Relevance. Part B: Heinrich Rickert, Max Weber, Werner Sombart, and Others", concen trating on the discussion in the 20th century.

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Preface.- Economics as Ethical Economy in the Tradition of the Historical School. Introduction.- Part One The Older Historical School.- 1 Intention and Failure of W. Roscher`s Historical Method of National Economics.- 2 ´Personality´ as a Principle of Individual and Institutional Development. Lorenz von Stein`s Institutional Theory of a ´Labour-Society!´.- Part Two Schmoller`s Contribution to Economics and Economic Ethics.- 3 A Methodological Appraisal of Schmoller`s Research Programm.- 4 The Role of Ethics as Part of the Historical Methods of Schmoller and the Older Historical School.- Part Three Wilhelm Dilthey`s Foundations of the Historical and Cultural Sciences.- 5 Dilthey`s ´Verstehen´ Sociology, Philosophy of Culture, and Ethics.- Part Four Cross Analyses of the Historical School: Historism in Italy and Japan.- 7 Historism and Liberalism in Japan.- Part Five Systematic Questions of Historism and Social Science in Contemporary Thought.- Section A Historism and Business Ethics.- 8 Institutional Economics, Management Science and the Historical School.- 9 In Search of a Theory.- B Historism, Economic Systems, and Economic Culture.- 10 Theoretical Approaches to a Comparison of Economic Systems from a Historical Perspective.- 11 Confucian Culture and Economic Development in East Asia.- Section C Historism in Sociology and Philosophy.- 12 Communitarianism, Pragmatism, Historicism.- 13 Is Postmodernism a Neohistorism? On the Absoluteness and the Historicity of History.- Section D Historism in the Social Sciences. Conclusions.- 14 Historism in the German Tradition of Social and Economic Thought or: What Is Living and What Is Dead in Historism.

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Peter Koslowski ist Gründungsdirektor des Forschungsinstituts für Philosophie Hannover und Professor für Philosophie und Politische Ökonomie an der Universität Witten/Herdecke.

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