Order, process and morphology: Sraffa and Wittgenstein

arena, richard;

This contribution is based on an exploration of the nature and meaning of some
of Sraffa�s and Wittgenstein�s mutual ontological, methodological and philosophical
influences whose initial findings are set out in Arena (2013). The article has
two core objectives. First, I argue that, based on earlier findings, a different interpretation
of Sraffa�s contribution to economics is possible from those that have
been predominant so far and that hold that Sraffa�s approach is primarily a contribution
to the theory of relative prices. I consider the two main interpretations
of Sraffa�s price system in this regard. Whilst these differ in important aspects,
I argue that they share a core feature, namely, an approach to prices based on the
concept of economic or social order understood as a final outcome independent
of the possible process through which this outcome can be achieved. Second,
I am interested in highlighting a number of connections between Wittgenstein�s
works post-Tractatus and certain developments contained in Sraffa�s Unpublished
Papers. Taking Wittgenstein post-Tractatus as the starting point, I proceed to
argue that core concepts employed by Wittgenstein are compatible with and
reinforce an interpretation of Sraffa�s contribution in terms of a morphological
and comparative analysis of the economic foundations of surplus-based societies.
From this perspective, the notions of �surveyable representation� and �snapshot�
are employed to characterise an analysis in which agents are guided by social
rules, and the concept of mechanical causality is discarded. This convergence of
Sraffa�s and Wittgenstein�s approaches does not, however, exclude differences
concerning the social facts investigated and the use of analytical tools such as
mathematics.