Economics has developed into one of the most specialised social sciences. Yet, at the same time, it shares its subject matter with other social sciences and humanities, and its method of analysis has developed in close correspondence with the natural and life sciences. This book offers an up-to-date assessment of economics in relation to other disciplines. An edited collection, it explores fields as diverse as mathematics, physics, biology, medicine, sociology, architecture, and literature, drawing from selected contributions to the 2005 annual conference of the European Society for the History of Economic Thought (ESHET). There is currently much discussion at the leading edge of modern economics about openness to other disciplines, such as psychology and sociology. But what we see here is that economics has drawn on (as well as contributed to) other disciplines throughout its history. In this sense, despite increasing specialisation within all disciplines, economics has always been an open discipline, and the chapters of this volume are a vivid illustration of the fact. Open Economics is a testament to the intellectual vibrance of historical research in economics. It presents the reader with a historical introduction to the disciplinary context of economics that is the first of its kind. The book will appeal to practising economists and students of the discipline alike, as well as to anybody interested in economics and its position in the scientific and social scientific landscape.

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