Introduction to Part III

This Introduction indicates the aim of the next three chapters: to study the doctrinal contest between Malthus and Ricardo in historical terms. This is a challenge since the temptation is to treat the articulation of correct doctrine as the natural form for economic knowledge. Yet it is crucial to note that doctrinal elaboration was pioneered by Malthus and Ricardo, such that this development needs to be registered as a historical event. This is achieved by studying doctrinal claims alongside the appraisive vocabularies that Malthus and Ricardo used, which reveals that the vocabulary of theory and practice was once again at the centre of the contest. In particular, Malthus used this vocabulary to impugn Ricardo’s reasoning as dangerous because it neglected the needs of legislators and because it seemed to be the product of an undisciplined mind.