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Quite a find, Paul,in an age when people are always assuming the superiority of the present.
The Scholastics were indeed fine economists, but the slight of Adam Smith is unwarranted - a better comparison would have been Ricardo. Still, they don't have much to teach us today.
A greater neglect is that toward St. Thomas Aquinas. Philosophers today read his political writings, which are the weakest part of his oeuvre, but not his great moral and spiritual writings. Enthusiasm over the Enlightenment has swept away many treasures of the past.
PJ:
I want to read some Aquinas. What do you recommend?
You might try "A Tour of the Summa," but I can't remember the author. The Summa itself would cover your living room wall.
the austrian economists are great. check out the intro to austrian economics by Dr. Taylor of dear old wake forest university. it is online for free at http://www.mises.org/austecon.asp as for past economists no longer being relavent, you are sorrly mistaken. watch as mr. alan and mr. bush repeat the sins of the past and do everything that misas and rothbard would never agree with. fiat currencies all end in ruin, it is just a question of when unfortunately. a great read is marc faber's new book tomorrow's gold. http://www.gloomboomdoom.com/ the mises blog is an awesome source for econmic info too! history always repeats itself...
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