Discovering Rhetoric: The Ecology of Enterprise in the Bourgeois Era

Martin, Adam G.

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Discovering Rhetoric: The Ecology of Enterprise in the Bourgeois Era

Adam G. Martin

King's College London

May 8, 2012

Journal of Socio-Economics, Forthcoming

Abstract:
Deirdre McCloskey's Bourgeois Dignity deploys Israel Kirzner's theory of entrepreneurial discovery as a critical component in her explanation of the Industrial Revolution. This essay examines whether Kirzner's theory can bear the analytical load that McCloskey would place on it. I identify two potential incongruities between Kirzner's theory and McCloskey's historical account but find them both unconvincing. Kirzner's entrepreneur is a good fit for McCloskey's story. I argue further that the fit can be strengthened by incorporating further elements of Kirzner's theory, including entrepreneurial alertness.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 24

Keywords: Industrial Revolution, Entrepreneurship, Rhetoric

JEL Classification: B53, O1, N13

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Date posted: October 1, 2011 ; Last revised: May 9, 2012

Suggested Citation

Martin, Adam G., Discovering Rhetoric: The Ecology of Enterprise in the Bourgeois Era (May 8, 2012). Journal of Socio-Economics, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1936149

Contact Information

Adam G. Martin (Contact Author)

King's College London ( email )

Strand Campus
London, WC2R 2LS
United Kingdom