Paul Anthony Samuelson: historian of economic thought

Paul Anthony Samuelson made wide-ranging contributions to scholarship in the history of economic thought over the course of his long professional career, doing so using a distinctive approach to the subject that was both a source of significant insights into the ideas of the past and the subject of controversy. This article discusses the motivations behind Samuelson’s work in the history of economic thought, both in terms of subject-matter and approach, with a view toward enhancing our understanding of his place in this field.