Ven. William Cunningham, 1849-1919.
Accomplished Scottish scholar, clergyman, historian and statistician.
Cunningham was educated at Edinburgh and Cambridge. Until 1891, he served
as a Cambridge lecturer in history and economics as well as Chaplain of Trinity
College, Cambridge. He was then appointed as the Tooke Professor of
Statistics at King's College, which held until 1897. He served as Vicar of
Great St. Mary's until 1908, when he was made Archdeacon of Ely, a post which he
held until the end of his life.
Cunningham was a vocal opponent of the nascent Neoclassical
economics, particularly as propounded by his
colleague, Alfred Marshall and the Cambridge
School. In economics, he sought to promote the historical method,
making him one of the most leading advocates of the English
Historical School. Despite the sustained attacks levied by Cunningham,
Marshall was sufficiently influenced by his pleas to try to include some more
historical content in his work and operate more "inductively" in the
derivation of his economic principles. However, he refused to accept
Cunningham's main charge -- that the validity of economic laws is conditional on
historical, social and cultural context.
Cunningham's opposition to Neoclassicism was not only one of method, but also
of politics. Cunningham was deeply opposed to utilitarian
philosophy and laissez-faire
politics, and penned several tracts defending labor unions and
protectionism. He also resurrected much interest in old Mercantilist thought.
Major Works of William Cunningham
- "The Progress of Socialism in England", 1879, Contemporary
Review
- The Growth of English Industry and Commerce During the Early and
Middle Ages , 1882.
- Politics and Economics, 1885
- Political Economy Treated as an Empirical Science, 1887
- "Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism in Economics", 1892, Report
of BAAS
- "A Plea for Pure Theory", 1892, Econ Review
- "The Relativity of Economic Doctrines", 1892, EJ
- "The Perversion of Economic History", 1892, EJ.
- "Political Economy in Relation to Practical Life", 1893, International
J of Ethics
- "Economists as Mischief Makers", 1894, Econ Review
- Strikes, 1895
- "The General Election: Prospects of Social Legislation",
1895, Econ Review
- An Essay on Modern Civilization in Some of its Economic Aspects , 1898-1900.
- "The Failure of the Free Traders to Realize Their Ideal",
1904, Econ Review
- "Unconscious Assumptions in Economics", 1906, Report of
BAAS
- Rise and Decline of the Free Trade Movements, 1905.
- The Wisdom of the Wise, 1906
- The Case Against Free Trade, 1910.
- The Causes of Labour Unrest, 1912
- Christianity and Economic Science, 1914
- Christianity and Politics, 1916
- Progress of Capitalism in England, 1916.
Resources on William Cunningham
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