Class Year
2025
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Date of Creation
Spring 2025
Department 1
Interdisciplinary Studies
Abstract
From John Locke to Herbert Marcuse, discussions about economics and societies have dominated the philosophical battleground. While Adam Smith waged a war against mercantilism, men like Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill, two ideological enemies, were both writing to address the same problems they saw in society. Each one of these men has contributed to a different part of the discussion. In understanding their differences, and their common ground, these essays examine a hypothetical four-hundred-dollar jacket, stolen from the author at Gettysburg College. Each one of these philosophers, each writing at different times and in different circumstances, will attempt to address what should be done about this jacket, and how it represents the wider economic reality. These essays draw upon the works of the philosophers themselves, such as Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto, and several other works vital to the history of political economy.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Dusart, Jackson C., "Cash or Credit: A Collection of Short Essays about Economic Philosophy and the Trajectory of Political Economy" (2025). Student Publications. 1156.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/1156
Comments
Written for IDS 220: Capitalisim vs. Marxism