Methodenstreit/Governmentality

Hi all,

The question has been asked several times,(and unsuccessfully) if anyone
can give a clue to
Foucault's aquaintance with Hayek. Now I have a related question. It is
about the 'Methodenstreit': a debate between German-speaking economists
in the 1880's. My current interpretation of this debate, and I may be
very wrong, is that on the one hand Schmoller defends a view of
economics which takes into account time and place i.e. is historically
or culturally based, and on the other hand Menger takes a position which
is based on theoretical, ahistorical non-contingent notions of economic
knowledge.

Does anyone have further insight into this? And what is the role of
Aristotelean theories about the nature of knowledge? Barry Smith says
that Aristotlelean theory was all-persvasive amongst German theorists
in the nineteenth century, and that the terms of debate were drawn from
these assumptions - which included the idea that reality is what you
perceive, there is no need for mediating representation?

Any comments, clues?

Thanks,

Nesta


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