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Document Details : Title: Money, Time and Labour Subtitle: Leonardus Lessius and the Ethics of Lending and Intrest Taking Author(s): VAN HOUDT, Toon Journal: Ethical Perspectives Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Date: April 1995 Pages: 11-27 DOI: 10.2143/EP.2.1.563068 Abstract : By now it has been pretty well established that the Flemish Jesuit Lonardus Lessius (1554-1623) was an economist of the highest grade. Joseph A. Schumpeter, perhaps the 20th century's most important historian of economics, afforded Lessius more than ample mention in his monumental work, History of Economic Analysis. In Interest and Usury, Schumpeter's pupil, Bernard W. Dempsey, likewise gave Lessius generous attention. The Belgian historian Raymond de Roover, however, who considered Lessius to be primarily deserving epigone of the famous 'salamanca school', did not completely share their enthusiasm, at least initially. De Roover's somewhat lukewarm attitude was, nevertheless, drowned out by the laudatory contribution of Barry T. Gordon on the subject in his Economic Analysis Before Adam Smith. Robert Beutels brought respect to Lessius' work in hus bio-bibliographical essay published ub 1987 and restored something of the honour due to Lessius which, according to Beutels had been unjustly denied, certainly in his own land. |
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