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The origin and evolution of Islamic economic thought

This research is an attempt to clarify the confusion and controversy concerning the content and meaning of Islamic economics. The objective of this dissertation is two fold. The primary objective is to attain a definition for the term "Islamic economic system" based on a thorough investigation of the origin and the evolution of Islamic economic thought. The second objective is to examine the extent to which early Islamic economic thought or its ideological concepts compares to the medieval economic thought of the West. / In order to identify what might be termed an "Islamic economy," this dissertation uses a Schumpeterian approach--that in order to understand the present, one needs to know the past. Apart from the importance of the Schumpeterian approach in economic analysis, the argument for pursuing the primary objective of this research is to recognize a neglected area in the field of economic thought. / The dissertation reveals a basic continuity of ideas on various economic subjects by Islamic scholars during the ascendancy of Islamic civilization. This provides the basis necessary to refute the thesis propounded by Meyer that the "Arabic, Turkish and Persian speaking East has experienced no continuity of economic ideas such as those which come from the Judeo-Christian West." The study further points to a certain unity of economic thought between the medieval West and the Muslim East. Both systems were primarily concerned with the quality of life, which in turn depended on the moral and ethical character of the individual. Both also traced their origins to Greek philosophy, in particular Neo-Platonism. / The study concludes with a discussion of the reasons for the divergence in economic growth observed in the Islamic East as compared to the Christian West in the period after the Renaissance. These reasons include a number of factors relating to socioeconomic and political institutions in the East, but do not arise from restrictions imposed by Islamic religious ideology. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-10, Section: A, page: 3666. / Major Professor: Philip Sorensen. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1991.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76496
ContributorsAhghari, Zohreh., Florida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText
Format240 p.
RightsOn campus use only.
RelationDissertation Abstracts International

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