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  3. Journal of Economic Literature
  4. December 2003
  5. Sraffa, Wittgenstein, and Gramsci

Journal of Economic Literature

ISSN 0022-0515 (Print) | ISSN 2328-8175 (Online)

Sraffa, Wittgenstein, and Gramsci

  • Amartya Sen
Journal of Economic Literature
vol. 41, no. 4, December 2003
(pp. 1240–1255)
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Abstract

Two distinct but interrelated issues are investigated here. The first concerns Sraffa's critical role in contemporary philosophy through his pivotal influence on Wittgenstein. The intellectual origins of this profound influence can be traced to the philosophical interests of the activist political circle in Italy (clustered around the journal L'Ordine Nuovo) to which both Sraffa and Antonio Gramsci belonged. The second inquiry concerns the influence of Sraffa's philosophical views on his economics. Sraffa's economic contributions can be much better understood by paying attention to the way Sraffa changed the nature of the questions asked, rather than seeking different answers to already established questions.

Citation

Sen, Amartya. 2003. "Sraffa, Wittgenstein, and Gramsci." Journal of Economic Literature, 41 (4): 1240–1255. DOI: 10.1257/002205103771800022

JEL Classification

  • B31 History of Economic Thought: Individuals
  • B41 Economic Methodology