On Marshall's presumed idealism: A note on The Intellectual Foundations of Alfred Marshall's Economic Science. A Rounded Globe of Knowledge by Simon Cook

Abstract

In his book, Cook maintains that throughout his life Marshall was a convinced idealist, under the early influence of Ferrier, later strengthened by his reading of Hegel. This article aims to show that Marshall's interest in Hegelian philosophy is associated owith his endorsement of Spencer's evolutionism, rather than with Ferrier's dualistic philosophy. This opinion stems from, and leads to, a completely different interpretation of Marshall's early philosophical papers and their impact on his economics and social thought.