Foundations of Economic Analysis. by Paul Anthony Samuelson

HIS is a very important contribution in the field of pure economics which I ought to be of interest to econometricians and those statisticians who concern themselves with economic matters. The author endeavors throughout to derive 'operationally meaningful" propositions in economics from the assumption of maximizing behavior. Operationally meaningful statements are hypotheses about empirical data which could conceivably be refuted, if only under ideal conditions. These ideas are related to those of some modern positivist philosophers, especially Bridgeman. It is perhaps unfortunate that the author has not included a methodological chapter in his book. An explicit statement of his philosophical ideas may have contributed to the understanding of his book. It may have helped some economists who are sceptical about the applicability of radical positivism and behaviorism in the social sciences.