The Hand Behind the Invisible Hand
Dogmatic and Pragmatic Views on Free Markets and the State of Economic Theory
By Karl Mittermaier
Published
Jul 22, 2020Page count
278 pagesISBN
978-1529209099Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Jul 22, 2020Page count
278 pagesISBN
978-1529215793Dimensions
Imprint
Bristol University PressAvailable Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND
Made famous by the Enlightenment thinker Adam Smith, the concept of an ‘invisible hand’ might be taken to imply that a government that governs least governs the best, from the viewpoint of society. Here an invisible hand appears to represent unfettered market forces.
Drawing from this much-contested notion, Mittermaier indicates why such a view represents only one side of the story and distinguishes between what he calls pragmatic and dogmatic free marketeers.
Published posthumously, with new contributions by Daniel Klein, Rod O’Donnell and Christopher Torr, this book outlines Mittermaier’s main thesis and his relevance for ongoing debates within economics, politics, sociology and philosophy.
Karl Mittermaier (1938–2016) was affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for over thirty years until his retirement in 1998.
Foreword ~ Isabella Mittermaier
Mittermaier’s Modern Message ~ Christopher Torr
The Hand Behind the Invisible Hand ~ Karl Mittermaier
Karl Mittermaier’s Pursuit of Classical Liberal Coherence ~ Daniel B. Klein
Karl Mittermaier, a Philosopher-Economist with a Penetrating Intellect and Twinkling Eye ~ Rod O’Donnell