Towards a World History of Economic Thought: A China Monetary Perspective

Abstract

The history of economic thought was arguably the most Eurocentric and Modernocentric subfield of economics. Most primers and readers in the Eng-lish language used to deal with early modern Europe to the exclusion of other regions. The purpose of this research note is therefore to tentatively revisit famous and lesser-known thinkers across Eurasia, by way of encouraging more inclusive comprehensive accounts of economic thought in pre-modern and early modern times. The issues covered will be mercantile policy; usury and interest rates; taxation; and finally and most importantly monetary thought. The conclusions show that monetary nominalism was pervasive around the world; and that Islamic thinkers were the least anti-mercantile.