August Oncken - AggreNotes

Cheatsheet

Economists

Model Questions

August Oncken (10 April 1844 – 10 July 1911) was a German economist and historian of economic thought, primarily known for his extensive research and publications on the Physiocrats, particularly François Quesnay, and on Adam Smith. He played a significant role in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in editing, translating, and interpreting key works of classical political economy, making them more accessible to a German-speaking audience and contributing to the scholarly understanding of the development of economic ideas.

August Oncken was born in Heidelberg, Grand Duchy of Baden. He came from a scholarly family; his elder brother was the historian Wilhelm Oncken. August studied at the universities of Heidelberg, Munich, and Berlin, focusing on political science, economics, and history. He was influenced by the prevailing intellectual currents of the German Historical School, although his own work would focus more on the classical economists and their precursors. He received his doctorate for work related to the history of economic ideas.

Oncken embarked on an academic career that saw him hold several professorships:

He began as a Privatdozent at the University of Heidelberg.
In 1872, he was appointed Professor of Political Economy at the Imperial and Royal Polytechnic Institute of Lemberg (now Lviv, Ukraine), which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
From 1878 until his retirement, he served as Professor of Political Economy at the University of Bern in Switzerland. It was during his long tenure in Bern that he produced much of his most significant scholarly work.

Oncken was a dedicated teacher and a meticulous researcher, deeply engaged with the original texts of the economists he studied.

August Oncken's primary contributions lie in the field of the history of economic thought, particularly his work on the Physiocrats and Adam Smith.

Scholarship on the Physiocrats:
- Oncken is arguably best remembered for his comprehensive studies of Physiocracy, the 18th-century French school of economic thought led by François Quesnay. He undertook extensive archival research and produced critical editions of Quesnay's works.
- His magnum opus in this area is often considered his edition of Oeuvres économiques et philosophiques de F. Quesnay, fondateur du système physiocratique (1888). This meticulously edited volume, with its detailed introductions and annotations, became a standard scholarly resource for Quesnay's writings.
- He also wrote extensively on the history and doctrines of the Physiocratic school, analyzing their theory of the "produit net" (net product), their emphasis on agriculture as the sole source of wealth, and their advocacy for laissez-faire policies.
- Oncken helped to clarify the intellectual lineage and impact of the Physiocrats, situating them within the broader Enlightenment context and as important precursors to classical political economy.
Work on Adam Smith:
- Oncken also devoted considerable attention to Adam Smith. He translated Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments into German and wrote analytical works on Smith's economic and philosophical ideas.
- He explored the relationship between Smith's moral philosophy and his economic theories, a topic of ongoing scholarly debate.
- His work helped to disseminate and interpret Smith's ideas within the German academic world.
History of Economic Doctrines:
- His broader work, Geschichte der Nationalökonomie: Erster Teil: Die Zeit vor Adam Smith (1902), was an ambitious attempt to write a comprehensive history of economic thought up to Adam Smith. While only the first part was completed, it showcased his deep erudition and his approach to tracing the evolution of economic ideas.
- He was particularly interested in the origins of economic concepts and the historical context in which they emerged.
"Laissez-faire, laissez-passer":
- Oncken conducted detailed research into the origins and popularization of the famous economic maxim "Laissez faire, laissez passer," tracing its usage and meaning within Physiocratic and classical liberal thought. His 1886 work on this topic is a key reference.

Oncken's approach was characterized by:

Textual Criticism: He placed great emphasis on working with original source materials, producing critical editions of texts.
Historical Contextualization: He sought to understand economic theories within their specific historical and intellectual settings.
Biographical Detail: His work often included significant biographical information about the economists he studied, believing that their lives and circumstances were relevant to understanding their ideas.

August Oncken was a highly respected historian of economic thought in his time. His scholarly editions of Quesnay, in particular, remained standard works for many decades and are still consulted by specialists. He contributed significantly to the professionalization of the history of economic thought as an academic discipline. While perhaps not as widely known today as some of his contemporaries who developed original economic theories, his meticulous scholarship provided a crucial foundation for understanding the development of classical economics.

1870: Die historische Methode in der Nationalökonomie (The Historical Method in Political Economy).
1875: Adam Smith und Immanuel Kant; der Einklang und das Wechselverhältniss ihrer Lehren über Sitte, Staat und Wirthschaft (Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant; The Harmony and Interrelation of their Doctrines on Morality, State, and Economy).
1877: Adam Smith in der Culturgeschichte (Adam Smith in Cultural History).
1881: Die Entwicklung des Begriffes der Volkswirthschaftslehre (The Development of the Concept of Political Economy).
1886: Die Maxime Laissez faire et laissez passer, ihr Ursprung, ihr Werden (The Maxim Laissez faire et laissez passer, Its Origin, Its Development).
1888: (Editor) Oeuvres économiques et philosophiques de F. Quesnay, fondateur du système physiocratique. Avec une introduction et des notes (Economic and Philosophical Works of F. Quesnay, Founder of the Physiocratic System. With an Introduction and Notes). Frankfurt am Main: Joseph Baer & Co.
1890: (Translator and Editor) Adam Smith, Theorie der ethischen Gefühle (Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments).
1897: Die Agrarfrage und der Sozialismus (The Agrarian Question and Socialism).
1902: Geschichte der Nationalökonomie: Erster Teil: Die Zeit vor Adam Smith (History of Political Economy: First Part: The Period before Adam Smith). Leipzig: C.L. Hirschfeld. (No further parts were published).
Various articles and smaller monographs on topics related to the history of economic thought and policy.

August Oncken (10 April 1844 – 10 July 1911) was a German economist and historian of economic thought, primarily known for his extensive research and publications on the Physiocrats, particularly François Quesnay, and on Adam Smith. He played a significant role in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in editing, translating, and interpreting key works of classical political economy, making them more accessible to a German-speaking audience and contributing to the scholarly understanding of the development of economic ideas.

August Oncken was born in Heidelberg, Grand Duchy of Baden. He came from a scholarly family; his elder brother was the historian Wilhelm Oncken. August studied at the universities of Heidelberg, Munich, and Berlin, focusing on political science, economics, and history. He was influenced by the prevailing intellectual currents of the German Historical School, although his own work would focus more on the classical economists and their precursors. He received his doctorate for work related to the history of economic ideas.

Oncken embarked on an academic career that saw him hold several professorships:

He began as a Privatdozent at the University of Heidelberg.
In 1872, he was appointed Professor of Political Economy at the Imperial and Royal Polytechnic Institute of Lemberg (now Lviv, Ukraine), which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
From 1878 until his retirement, he served as Professor of Political Economy at the University of Bern in Switzerland. It was during his long tenure in Bern that he produced much of his most significant scholarly work.

Oncken was a dedicated teacher and a meticulous researcher, deeply engaged with the original texts of the economists he studied.

August Oncken's primary contributions lie in the field of the history of economic thought, particularly his work on the Physiocrats and Adam Smith.

Scholarship on the Physiocrats:
- Oncken is arguably best remembered for his comprehensive studies of Physiocracy, the 18th-century French school of economic thought led by François Quesnay. He undertook extensive archival research and produced critical editions of Quesnay's works.
- His magnum opus in this area is often considered his edition of Oeuvres économiques et philosophiques de F. Quesnay, fondateur du système physiocratique (1888). This meticulously edited volume, with its detailed introductions and annotations, became a standard scholarly resource for Quesnay's writings.
- He also wrote extensively on the history and doctrines of the Physiocratic school, analyzing their theory of the "produit net" (net product), their emphasis on agriculture as the sole source of wealth, and their advocacy for laissez-faire policies.
- Oncken helped to clarify the intellectual lineage and impact of the Physiocrats, situating them within the broader Enlightenment context and as important precursors to classical political economy.
Work on Adam Smith:
- Oncken also devoted considerable attention to Adam Smith. He translated Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments into German and wrote analytical works on Smith's economic and philosophical ideas.
- He explored the relationship between Smith's moral philosophy and his economic theories, a topic of ongoing scholarly debate.
- His work helped to disseminate and interpret Smith's ideas within the German academic world.
History of Economic Doctrines:
- His broader work, Geschichte der Nationalökonomie: Erster Teil: Die Zeit vor Adam Smith (1902), was an ambitious attempt to write a comprehensive history of economic thought up to Adam Smith. While only the first part was completed, it showcased his deep erudition and his approach to tracing the evolution of economic ideas.
- He was particularly interested in the origins of economic concepts and the historical context in which they emerged.
"Laissez-faire, laissez-passer":
- Oncken conducted detailed research into the origins and popularization of the famous economic maxim "Laissez faire, laissez passer," tracing its usage and meaning within Physiocratic and classical liberal thought. His 1886 work on this topic is a key reference.

Oncken's approach was characterized by:

Textual Criticism: He placed great emphasis on working with original source materials, producing critical editions of texts.
Historical Contextualization: He sought to understand economic theories within their specific historical and intellectual settings.
Biographical Detail: His work often included significant biographical information about the economists he studied, believing that their lives and circumstances were relevant to understanding their ideas.

August Oncken was a highly respected historian of economic thought in his time. His scholarly editions of Quesnay, in particular, remained standard works for many decades and are still consulted by specialists. He contributed significantly to the professionalization of the history of economic thought as an academic discipline. While perhaps not as widely known today as some of his contemporaries who developed original economic theories, his meticulous scholarship provided a crucial foundation for understanding the development of classical economics.

1870: Die historische Methode in der Nationalökonomie (The Historical Method in Political Economy).
1875: Adam Smith und Immanuel Kant; der Einklang und das Wechselverhältniss ihrer Lehren über Sitte, Staat und Wirthschaft (Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant; The Harmony and Interrelation of their Doctrines on Morality, State, and Economy).
1877: Adam Smith in der Culturgeschichte (Adam Smith in Cultural History).
1881: Die Entwicklung des Begriffes der Volkswirthschaftslehre (The Development of the Concept of Political Economy).
1886: Die Maxime Laissez faire et laissez passer, ihr Ursprung, ihr Werden (The Maxim Laissez faire et laissez passer, Its Origin, Its Development).
1888: (Editor) Oeuvres économiques et philosophiques de F. Quesnay, fondateur du système physiocratique. Avec une introduction et des notes (Economic and Philosophical Works of F. Quesnay, Founder of the Physiocratic System. With an Introduction and Notes). Frankfurt am Main: Joseph Baer & Co.
1890: (Translator and Editor) Adam Smith, Theorie der ethischen Gefühle (Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments).
1897: Die Agrarfrage und der Sozialismus (The Agrarian Question and Socialism).
1902: Geschichte der Nationalökonomie: Erster Teil: Die Zeit vor Adam Smith (History of Political Economy: First Part: The Period before Adam Smith). Leipzig: C.L. Hirschfeld. (No further parts were published).
Various articles and smaller monographs on topics related to the history of economic thought and policy.

August Oncken (10 April 1844 – 10 July 1911) was a German economist and historian of economic thought, primarily known for his extensive research and publications on the Physiocrats, particularly François Quesnay, and on Adam Smith. He played a significant role in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in editing, translating, and interpreting key works of classical political economy, making them more accessible to a German-speaking audience and contributing to the scholarly understanding of the development of economic ideas.

August Oncken was born in Heidelberg, Grand Duchy of Baden. He came from a scholarly family; his elder brother was the historian Wilhelm Oncken. August studied at the universities of Heidelberg, Munich, and Berlin, focusing on political science, economics, and history. He was influenced by the prevailing intellectual currents of the German Historical School, although his own work would focus more on the classical economists and their precursors. He received his doctorate for work related to the history of economic ideas.

Oncken embarked on an academic career that saw him hold several professorships:

He began as a Privatdozent at the University of Heidelberg.
In 1872, he was appointed Professor of Political Economy at the Imperial and Royal Polytechnic Institute of Lemberg (now Lviv, Ukraine), which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
From 1878 until his retirement, he served as Professor of Political Economy at the University of Bern in Switzerland. It was during his long tenure in Bern that he produced much of his most significant scholarly work.

Oncken was a dedicated teacher and a meticulous researcher, deeply engaged with the original texts of the economists he studied.

August Oncken's primary contributions lie in the field of the history of economic thought, particularly his work on the Physiocrats and Adam Smith.

Scholarship on the Physiocrats:
- Oncken is arguably best remembered for his comprehensive studies of Physiocracy, the 18th-century French school of economic thought led by François Quesnay. He undertook extensive archival research and produced critical editions of Quesnay's works.
- His magnum opus in this area is often considered his edition of Oeuvres économiques et philosophiques de F. Quesnay, fondateur du système physiocratique (1888). This meticulously edited volume, with its detailed introductions and annotations, became a standard scholarly resource for Quesnay's writings.
- He also wrote extensively on the history and doctrines of the Physiocratic school, analyzing their theory of the "produit net" (net product), their emphasis on agriculture as the sole source of wealth, and their advocacy for laissez-faire policies.
- Oncken helped to clarify the intellectual lineage and impact of the Physiocrats, situating them within the broader Enlightenment context and as important precursors to classical political economy.
Work on Adam Smith:
- Oncken also devoted considerable attention to Adam Smith. He translated Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments into German and wrote analytical works on Smith's economic and philosophical ideas.
- He explored the relationship between Smith's moral philosophy and his economic theories, a topic of ongoing scholarly debate.
- His work helped to disseminate and interpret Smith's ideas within the German academic world.
History of Economic Doctrines:
- His broader work, Geschichte der Nationalökonomie: Erster Teil: Die Zeit vor Adam Smith (1902), was an ambitious attempt to write a comprehensive history of economic thought up to Adam Smith. While only the first part was completed, it showcased his deep erudition and his approach to tracing the evolution of economic ideas.
- He was particularly interested in the origins of economic concepts and the historical context in which they emerged.
"Laissez-faire, laissez-passer":
- Oncken conducted detailed research into the origins and popularization of the famous economic maxim "Laissez faire, laissez passer," tracing its usage and meaning within Physiocratic and classical liberal thought. His 1886 work on this topic is a key reference.

Oncken's approach was characterized by:

Textual Criticism: He placed great emphasis on working with original source materials, producing critical editions of texts.
Historical Contextualization: He sought to understand economic theories within their specific historical and intellectual settings.
Biographical Detail: His work often included significant biographical information about the economists he studied, believing that their lives and circumstances were relevant to understanding their ideas.

August Oncken was a highly respected historian of economic thought in his time. His scholarly editions of Quesnay, in particular, remained standard works for many decades and are still consulted by specialists. He contributed significantly to the professionalization of the history of economic thought as an academic discipline. While perhaps not as widely known today as some of his contemporaries who developed original economic theories, his meticulous scholarship provided a crucial foundation for understanding the development of classical economics.

1870: Die historische Methode in der Nationalökonomie (The Historical Method in Political Economy).
1875: Adam Smith und Immanuel Kant; der Einklang und das Wechselverhältniss ihrer Lehren über Sitte, Staat und Wirthschaft (Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant; The Harmony and Interrelation of their Doctrines on Morality, State, and Economy).
1877: Adam Smith in der Culturgeschichte (Adam Smith in Cultural History).
1881: Die Entwicklung des Begriffes der Volkswirthschaftslehre (The Development of the Concept of Political Economy).
1886: Die Maxime Laissez faire et laissez passer, ihr Ursprung, ihr Werden (The Maxim Laissez faire et laissez passer, Its Origin, Its Development).
1888: (Editor) Oeuvres économiques et philosophiques de F. Quesnay, fondateur du système physiocratique. Avec une introduction et des notes (Economic and Philosophical Works of F. Quesnay, Founder of the Physiocratic System. With an Introduction and Notes). Frankfurt am Main: Joseph Baer & Co.
1890: (Translator and Editor) Adam Smith, Theorie der ethischen Gefühle (Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments).
1897: Die Agrarfrage und der Sozialismus (The Agrarian Question and Socialism).
1902: Geschichte der Nationalökonomie: Erster Teil: Die Zeit vor Adam Smith (History of Political Economy: First Part: The Period before Adam Smith). Leipzig: C.L. Hirschfeld. (No further parts were published).
Various articles and smaller monographs on topics related to the history of economic thought and policy.