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Kenneth Boulding
164 quotes
“The greater the penalties laid on sellers in the ... the higher the black market price.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1947 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1947) "A Note on the Theory of the Underground economy". In: The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science. Vol. 13 no.1, p. 117; quoted in: Michael York (2007) The Entrepreneurial Outlaw
“Conventions of generality and mathematical elegance may be just as much barriers to the attainment and diffusion of knowledge as may contentment with particularity and literary vagueness... It may well be that the slovenly and literary borderland between economics and sociology will be the most fruitful building ground during the years to come and that mathematical economics will remain too flawless in its perfection to be very fruitful.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1948) "Samuelson's Foundations: The Role of Mathematics in Economics," In: Journal of Political Economy, Vol 56 (June). as cited in: Peter J. Boettke (1998) "James M. Buchanan and the Rebirth of Politi…
“The task of presenting a systematic, orderly, and accurate account of economic analysis is identical with the task of preparing the material for teaching. It must be emphasized, however, that the purpose of this work is not primarily to entertain the student, or to enable him to regurgitate appropriate material into examination books, or to learn a few pat phrases, or to indoctrinate him with an abstract discipline which he will never use. Economics is like photography in this respect, that under-exposure is less desirable than no exposure at all.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A distinguished economist, on being asked to define the subject matter of his science, once replied, "Economics is what economists do.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thus we seem to be on the verge of an expansion of welfare economics into something like a social science of ethics and politics: what was intended to be a mere porch to ethics is either the whole house or nothing at all. In so laying down its life welfare economics may be able to contribute some of its insights and analytical methods to a much broader evaluative analysis of the whole social process.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 34. (rev. ed. 1948) cited in: J.P. Roos (1973) Welfare Theory and Social Policy: A Study in Policy Science - Nummer 4. p. 102
“[In this we may expect the article to be sold to] "the most eager buyer at a price which is just about the highest he is willing to pay, for in this case the most eager buyer does not know what prices the other buyers are willing to give [and] … each buyer fear that someone may slip in ahead of him.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 42 as cited in: Vernon L. Smith (1991) Papers in Experimental Economics. p. 516
“Mathematicians themselves set up standards of generality and elegance in their exposition which are a bar to understand.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 236 (rev. ed. 1948) cited in: G.C. Harcourt, C. Sardoni (1992) On Political Economists and Modern Political Economy. Vol 4. p. 197
“A firm may be defined as an institution which buys things, transforms them in some way, and then sells them with the purpose of making a profit. The things a firm buys we shall call "inputs." The things it sells we shall call "outputs." The process whereby the things it buys are transformed into the things it sells we shall call the "process of production." In any process of buying to sell again a process of production is always involved...”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Just as there are inputs which are supplied by the owner of a business, and whose value therefore is a "virtual," not an actual, expense, so there can be outputs which are consumed by the owner of a business, and whose value therefore forms.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[The is] the supreme mover of economic order... for whom all goods are made and towards whom all economic activity is directed.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 613 (rev. ed. 1948) as cited in: Andrew McMeekin (2002) Innovation by Demand. p. 131
“The process of ... is the final act in the economic drama”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1948 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 614 (rev. ed. 1948) as cited in: Andrew McMeekin (2002) Innovation by Demand. p. 131
“The discounting presumably is to be done for each period of time at that rate of interest which represents the alternative cost of employing capital in the occupation in question; that is, at the rate which the entrepreneur could obtain in other investments”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 793 cited in: Pedro Garcia Duarte (2010) "A Path through the Wilderness: Time Discounting in Growth Models
“[The theory of the firm] is exactly analogous to the analysis of the reactions of a consumer by means of indifferent curves. Indeed, a consumer is merely a ‘firm’ whose product is ‘utility’.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The use of isoquants to describe the production function did not develop to any great extent until the thirties.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 800 cited in: P. Lloyd (2012) "The Discovery of the Isoquant - History of Political Economy
“Economic problems have no sharp edges. They shade off imperceptibly into politics, sociology, and ethics. Indeed, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that the ultimate answer to every economic problem lies in some other field.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1976 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 252, quoted in Leonard Silk (1976) The Economists. New York: Basic Books. p. 208
“We all, or nearly all, consent If wages rise by ten per cent It puts a choice before the nation Of unemployment or inflation.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1951 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1951) in: The impact of the Union: eight economic theorists evaluate the labor union movement. John Maurice Clark & David McCord Wright eds.
“Theories without facts may be barren, but facts without theories are meaningless.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Attributed to Kenneth Boulding in: Association of American Colleges (1955) Liberal education. Vol. 41, p. 430
“The controversy as to whether socialism is possible has been settled by the fact that it exists, and it is a fundamental axiom of my philosophy, at any rate, that anything that exists, is possible.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1957) Segments of the economy, 1956, a symposium: the Fifth Economics-in-Action Program sponsored jointly by Republic Steel Corporation and Case Institute of Technology
“[Veblenian institutionalism was] part of a much larger movement of dissent, that includes London School Institutionalists, Oxford Antimarginalists and the German Historical School (especially its second generation.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1865 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1957) "A New Look at Institutionalism". In: The American Economic Review Vol 47, no.2, p. 3 as cited in: Klimina, Anna, (2008) "On misuse of the term “institutionalist” in the analysis of Russian acade…
“[There will be movement toward] behavioral economics... [which] involves study of those aspects of men’s images, or cognitive and affective structures that are more relevant to economic decisions.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1958) "Contemporary Economic Research". In Donald P. Ray (ed.). Trends in Social Science, pp. 9-26. as cited in: James Alm (2011) Testing Behavioral Public Economics Theories in the Laboratory. Working…
“Accounting for the most part, remains a legalistic and traditional practice, almost immune to self-criticism by scientific methods.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1958, p. 95) as cited in: Edward Stamp, Michael J. Mumford, Ken V. Peasnell (1993) Philosophical Perspectives on Accounting. p. 147
“The thing that distinguishes social systems from physical or even biological systems is their incomparable (and embarrassing) richness in special cases. Generalizations in the social sciences are mere pathways which lead through a riotous forest of individual trees, each a species unto itself. The social scientist who loses this sense of the essential individuality and uniqueness of each case is all too likely to make a solemn scientific ass of himself, especially if he thinks that his faceless generalizations are the equivalents of the rich variety of the world.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Boulding (1958) "Evidences for an Administrative Science: A review of the Administrative Science Quarterly, volumes 1 and 2". In Administrative Science Quarterly. vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 14
“I have been gradually coming under the conviction, disturbing for a professional theorist, that there is no such thing as economics - there is only social science applied to economic problems.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Reality, in its quantitative aspect, must be considered as a system of populations... The general study of the equilibria and dynamics of populations seems to have no name; but as it has probably reached its highest development in the biological study known as 'ecology,' this name may well be given to it.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1187 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 5. as cited in: Robert A. Solow (1994) "Kenneth Ewart Boulding: 1910-1993. An Appreciation". In: Journal of Economic Issues. Vol. 28, No. 4 (Dec., 1994), pp. 1187-1200
“In calling society an ecological system we are not merely using an analogy; society is an example of the general concept of an "ecosystem" that is, an ecological system of which biological systems--forests, fields, swamps--are other examples.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Almost every organization... exhibits two faces — a smiling face which it turns toward its members and a frowning face which it turns to the world outside.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1993 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 10 as cited in: Joseph T. Mahoney & Anne S. Huff (1993) Toward a New Social Contract. Theory in Organization Science Faculty paper, University of Illinois at Urbana
“The organizer who creates roles, who creates the holes that will force the pegs to their shape, is a prime creator of personality itself. When we ask of a man, "What is he?" the answer is usually given in terms of his major role, job, or position in society; he is the place that he fills, a painter, a priest, a politician, a criminal.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 80, quoted in: Paul S. Adler eds. (2009) The Oxford Handbook of Sociology and Organization Studies: Classical Foundations. p. 552
“[Boulding's belief in] the immediate experience of the Holy Spirit, or Inward Light, available to every man to teach, guide, reprove, and draw him up toward goodness.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1910 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 253. cited in: D.A. Latzko (1995) "Kenneth E. Boulding (18 January 1910-19 March 1993)" in: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society.
“General Systems Theory is a name which has come into use to describe a level of theoretical model-building which lies somewhere between the highly generalized constructions of pure mathematics and the specific theories of the specialized disciplines. Mathematics attempts to organize highly general relationships into a coherent system, a system however which does not have any necessary connections with the "real" world around us. It studies all thinkable relationships abstracted from any concrete situation or body of empirical knowledge.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Knowledge is not something which exists and grows in the abstract. It is a function of human organisms and of social organization. Knowledge, that is to say, is always what somebody knows: the most perfect transcript of knowledge in writing is not knowledge if nobody knows it. Knowledge however grows by the receipt of meaningful information - that is, by the intake of messages by a knower which are capable of reorganising his knowledge.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A second possible approach to general systems theory is through the arrangement of theoretical systems and constructs in a hierarchy of complexity, roughly corresponding to the complexity of the "individuals" of the various empirical fields... leading towards a "system of systems."… I suggest below a possible arrangement of "levels" of theoretical discourse.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One advantage of exhibiting a hierarchy of systems in this way is that it gives us some idea of the present gaps in both theoretical and empirical knowledge. Adequate theoretical models extend up to about the fourth level, and not much beyond. Empirical knowledge is deficient at practically all levels.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 201, quoted in: John P. Cole, Cuchlaine A. M. King (1969) Quantitative geography: techniques and theories in geography. p. 575
“[Even the mechanism can be endowed with an image. Thus] the thermostat has an image of the outside world in the shape of information regarding its temperature. It has also a value system in the sense of the ideal temperature at which it is set. Its behavior is directed towards the receipt of information which will bring its image and its value systems together”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1187 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 22 as cited in: Robert A. Solo (1994) "Kenneth Ewart Boulding: 1910-1993. An Appreciation". In: Journal of Economic Issues. Vol. 28, No. 4 (Dec., 1994), pp. 1187-1200
“Because of his capacity for abstract communications and language and his ability to enter in imagination into the lives of others, man is able to build organizations of a size and complexity far beyond those of the lower animals.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 26 quoted in: Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations - Volume 1 (1999). p. 159
“The basic bond of any society, culture, subculture, or organization is 'a public image.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 64, cited in: Carl H. Botan, Vincent Hazleton (2006) Public Relations Theory Two. p. 349. Botan & Hazleton explain: "Citizens have particular images (or conceptions) of their own nation in relations to other nations,…
“If a totally new image is to come into being however, there must be sensitivity to internal messages, the image itself must be sensitive to change, must be unstable, and it must include a value image which places high value on trials, experiments, and the trying of new things.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 94 as cited in: Richard Arena, Agnés Festrè, Nathalie Lazaric (2012) Handbook of Economics and Knowledge. p. 138
“There is something, however humble, which can properly be called skill among those who recognise themselves as economists.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 4; quoted in Andrew Mearman (2011) "Three cheers for Kenneth Boulding!", who further commented: "Boulding (1958) defined economics in terms of what economists are or, from Viner, what economists do. Further, Boulding…
“It is important to realize that the exercise of any skill depends on the ability to create an abstract system of some kind out of the totality of the world around us. For instance, the carpenter is not interested in wood as a biological or chemical entity. He is sensitive to many of its grosser physical properties but not to many subtler ones. The wood of a carpenter is not the real — that is, the complete substance — but merely wood as a material on which the carpenter can exercise his skill.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[The notion of equilibrium ] is a notion which can be employed usefully in varying degrees of looseness. It is an absolutely indispensable part of the toolbag of the economist and one which he can often contribute usefully to other sciences which are occasionally apt to get lost in the trackless exfoliations of purely dynamic systems.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The ability to work with systems of general equilibrium is perhaps one of the most important skills of the economist — a skill which he shares with many other scientists, but in which he has perhaps a certain comparative advantage.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is clear that the building of models is not a purely mechanical process but requires skill of a high order – not merely mathematical skill but a sensitivity to the relative importance of different factors and a critical, almost an artistic, faculty in the selection of behaviour equations which are reasonable, tentative hypotheses in explaining the behaviour of actual economies.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 16-17 as cited in Andrew Mearman (2011).
“One of the most important skills of the economist, therefore, is that of simplification of the model. Two important methods of simplification have been developed by economists. One is the method of partial equilibrium analysis (or microeconomics), generally associated with the name of Alfred Marshall and the other is the method of aggregation (or macro-economics), associated with the name of John Maynard Keynes.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Without the heroic, man has no meaning; without the economic, he has no sense. Economic man is most likely to be economic woman — a good wife, pulling the coat tails of her heroic husband, checking his extravagances of speech and action with words of caution and good sense. But without the heroic coat tails to pull, life for both of them would be dull and savorless indeed.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Economic progress... means the discovery and application of better ways of doing things to satisfy our wants. The piping of water to a household that previously dragged it from a well, the growing of two blades of grass where one grew before, the development of a power loom that enables one man to weave ten times as much as he could before, the use of steam power and electric power instead of horse or human power — all these things clearly represent economic progress.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1945 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remark: Kenneth Boulding gave the same example in his 1945 The economics of peace, p. 74
“Justification, in terms of the broadening of freedom, for any particular form of institution of property must be argued in terms of whether the losses caused by the restrictions imposed are greater or less than the gains derived from the elimination of costly conflict.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 119 cited in: Warren J. Samuels, James M. Buchanan (2007) The Legal-Economic Nexus. p. 54
“Private property is a means, and neither its abolition nor its unrestricted right should be an end in itself”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In spite of the moderate usefulness of what the economist has to say on this subject... there is a cry for a cultural anthropologist or even a psychologist when the economist runs into sacred cows, extended families, traditional motivations, levels of achievement, and social morale, all of which may be more important to economic development than any of the traditional economic variables. We still await a true synthesis of the insights of economics with those of other social sciences in the area”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1961). "Contemporary economic research: . In Donald P. Ray (Ed.) Trends in social science. p..19 cited in: Erik Angner & George Loewenstein (2006) Behavioral Economics
“In view of the importance of philanthropy in our society, it is surprising that so little attention has been given to it by economic or social theorists. In economic theory, especially, the subject is almost completely ignored. This is not, I think, because economists regard mankind as basically selfish or even because economic man is supposed to act only in his self-interest; it is rather because economics has essentially grown up around the phenomenon of exchange and its theoretical structure rests heavily on this process.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1962) "Notes on a Theory of Philanthropy" in: Philanthropy and Public Policy. Frank G. Dickinson, ed., New York, National Bureau of Economic Research.
“We face the dilemma... that if everyone gets his deserts, some may be driven from the table: and if everyone comes to the table, some may not get their deserts. In practice, this seems to be resolved by the establishment of a social minimum as reflected for instance, in the poor law, in social security and various welfare services. The principle of desert come into play above this social minimum. That is to say, society lays a modest table at which all can sup and a high table at which the deserving can feast”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Boulding (1962) "Social Justice in Social Dynamics", in: R.B. Brandt, ed. Social Justice. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. p. 83 as cited in: Toril Aalberg (2003) Achieving Justice: Comparative Public Opinio…
“In the imagination of those who are sensitive to the realities of our era, the earth has become a space ship, and this, perhaps, is the most important single fact of our day. For millennia, the earth in men's minds was flat and illimitable. Today, as a result of exploration, speed, and the explosion of scientific knowledge, earth has become a tiny sphere, closed, limited, crowded, and hurtling through space to unknown destinations. This change in man's image of his home affects his behaviour in many ways, and is likely to affect it much more in the future.”
Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993) first seen 1965 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kenneth Boulding (1965) Earth as a Spaceship Lecture May 10, 1965, Washington State University, Committee on Spaces Sciences