Hayek opposes the explanation of the emergence of institutions as “spontaneous (unintentional) order”, which he considers correct, against “constructivism” (viewed as erroneous). This dichotomy exhibits some inconsistencies, for, on Hayek’s account, constructivist ideologies seem able...

In analysis of the reciprocal relations which link together the evolution of the relations of subordination, personal incentives, and the division of labor with special reference to the agricultural and the commercial stages, Adam Smith pointed out the exclusive role performed by personal...

La tesi sostenuta in questo lavoro Š che nell'opera di Hayek vi siano non una, ma due nozioni di conoscenza. La prima Š una conoscenza informazionale consistente in un insieme di dati dispersi fra una molteplicita' di agenti. La seconda Š una conoscenza potenziale, conosciuta nella...

Il presente lavoro prende le mosse dal seguente quesito: in che misura muto' fra Sei e Settecento la visione delle relazioni fra natura e rapporti economici? Piu' specificamente ci si domanda se la visione della natura degli autori presmithiani fosse la stessa di Adam Smith e, una volta valutata...

The aim of this essay is to describe the concept of self-interest and show how it relates to the idea of the individual as an economic agent, focusing only on Smith's Wealth of Nations. Self-interest is analysed from three different perspectives that highlight its conceptual complexity. The...

This paper analyses two concepts considered antithetical by Hayek: constructivism and spontaneous order. The thesis is that the spontaneous order theory does not exhaustively explain the change of social systems divergent from market ones. More precisely, Hayek's approach lacks in a theory of...

The thesis put forward in this paper is that Herbert A. Simon was a distinctive theoretician of decentralized decisional systems alternative to the market, from planning to organizations. This issue emerges from the convergence of four perspectives, each with a different role and influence on...

First, the paper seeks to show that Herbert Simon's notion of bounded rationality should be interpreted in light of its connection with artificial intelligence. Second, offering four paradigmatic examples, the article presents the view that recent approaches that draw upon Simon's heterodox...