Abstract

This article explores the application of the principle of continuity to general equilibrium theory by Vilfredo Pareto, Gustav Cassel, and Knut Wicksell. It begins by recapping Pareto’s early works based on cardinal utility and continuity. After that, Cassel’s proposal of an elementary framing for general equilibrium with discontinuous functions is presented. The next section covers some unpublished letters between Pareto, Maffeo Pantaleoni, and Cassel related to the issue. It is followed by a review of the reception of Cassel’s ideas advanced in his 1899 Grundriss. In the end, some reflections are offered on the scientific implications of the principle of continuity to neoclassical economics.

摘要

本文探讨了 Vilfredo Pareto、Gustav Cassel 和 Knut Wicksell 将连续性原理应用于一般均衡理论。它首先根据基数效用和连续性重述帕累托的早期作品。之后，提出了卡塞尔关于具有不连续函数的一般均衡的基本框架的建议。下一节将介绍 Pareto、Maffeo Pantaleoni 和 Cassel 之间与该问题相关的一些未发表的信件。随后是对卡塞尔在其 1899 年Grundriss 中提出的思想的接受情况的回顾。最后，对连续性原则对新古典经济学的科学意义进行了一些反思。