Chapter 1 - The Economy

Above, the introduction to the Objective political economy partly duplicates this first chapter. The methodological options are, however, argued below in a more complete manner, the field of study being more precisely limited, and the hypothesis of monetary perfection posited until its removal in the last chapter.

Whatever one does, a political economy is oriented by its beginnings in such a way that it will prove possible, or impossible, to make it cross the threshold of an exact science. For this to be possible, it is necessary in particular that in the beginning there be a real definition of its object, instead of one of those statements which only give the impression of a precise investigation.

Propositions

• 1.1 For its logical coherence, economic thought must rely on definitions that are valid within the framework of a formal ontology
• 1.2 Let's call commercial, or economic, an exchange of a service or a good for either a quantity of money or a good or service.
• 1.3 All gift, voluntary or forced, of a quantity of money or of another thing having a market value, is a transfer of a economic exchange term.
• 1.4 The object of the Objective political economy is that which is specific to economic exchanges and to the transfer of the terms of these exchanges.
• 1.5 The field of the Objective political economy comprises only two types of production and no consumption.
• 1.6 The Objective political economy must first be studied under the assumption of monetary perfection.
• 1.7 Let us distinguish, as scales of observation of economic phenomena, mesonomy, macronomy, and micronomy.