Research On Edgeworth’s Ethics Thought And Its Influence

Francis Ysidro Edgeworth,as one of the greatest economists in nineteenth Century,has been concerned and studied by many people.However,his academic creation is from the field of ethics,one step by step to the field of economics.In order to develop to the academic thought of Edgeworth has a more complete understanding,this paper will focus on some important theories in the field of ethics in his proposed,and the relevant academic background of these theories.From his first book,NEW AND OLD METHODS OF ETHICS a book,Edgeworth’s research field is very extensive.He was also very concerned about the time of the nineteenth Century study of cutting-edge thinking and understanding.He absorbed the research results about the psychological feeling and the stimulation was physicist Fechner in his book,and the famous biologist Galton’s works are studied,will make part of the inheritance and development of the thought of "eugenics".In addition,he also made a critical acceptance of the ideas of Bentham and mill in nineteenth Century.These were famous scholars theory or deep influence Edgeworth’s thought,therefore,review the academic background can have a great help to our ethics as a whole more clearly grasp Edgeworth.In the NEW AND OLD METHODS OF ETHICS,Edgeworth started from "Barrett – Sidgwick dispute ",respectively of the two thoughts make a comment,then the "dualism of practical reason" problem was discussed,then in the famous work MATHEMATICAL PSYCHOLOGY this issues was discussed again,and puts forward the solution very original.This solution uses the economic theory,but also for his economic research to make a bedding.On the whole,he was influenced by the scientific research in nineteenth Century,and he paid great attention to the application of mathematical methods in the humanities,and advocated the combination of practical experience and logical reasoning.Therefore,he used a large number of complex mathematical operations to prove the proposition of ethics,which caused a lot of obstacles to the general reader’s understanding.Marshall,a famous economist,also criticized his tedious mathematical reasoning,and he thought that his mathematical expression was not simple and clear.In a word,Edgeworth in the academic creation,is a very prolific scholar,he in the field of ethics,economics and statistics in the published articles and book a total of more than and 300 articles,and he also has a very unique style of writing,the article quotes a lot of classical literature makes his works full of the smell of poetry and art.In order to have a more comprehensive understanding of the theory system of the great scholars,this article will make a discussion on the content in the field of ethics,and strive to be able to organize and display the important theory.