The formation of the economy in Europe of the XVIII century as a percieved scientific reality and discipline

Abstract

The article raises the question of the essence and nature of the economy, in connection with which different views on this topic by F. Braudel, V. Fedotova, V. Kolpakov, N. Fedotova, and V. Polterovich are examined. The author precedes the genesis of the formation of the economy with his hypothesis about its essence, as well as the nature of entrepreneurship. In particular, the author claims that in the XVIII–XIX centuries such concepts were created (A. Smith, D. Riccardo, K. Marx, etc.) and such methods that made it possible to design the work and success of future enterprises, as well as to calculate and evaluate the profitability of working enterprises. The genesis of the formation of the economy includes three main stages in the article: the transfer of power from kings to officials and the formation of the state, the formation of a social environment in which everyone paid taxes and laws, the creation of concepts, schemes and calculations that allow you to regulate and design market relations, as well as creation and operation of enterprises. The features of the first economic theories are discussed (A. Smith, D. Riccardo, K. Marx). The author does not agree with the point of view of V. Kolpakov, according to which the economy belongs to the natural sciences, he claims that the economy is a social science. Accordingly, it shows what this means: a person’s contribution to social nature, the presence of the cycle “social project – implementation – social reality”, and the role of social sciences in this cycle. At the end of the article, an explanation is given of why it is not entirely correct to talk about the economy of the Ancient World (here, according to the author, a specific, economic reflection of economic and commercial activity has not yet taken shape).