Although it is obvious – and therefore, undisputed – that Robbins was defining economic science, it is still an open question which aspect of the science he was defining. To the possible surprise of the reader, the first and most important question to be elucidated is what this definition refers to. Nevertheless, the fact of its general acceptance should not mask the fact that there are certain aspects of Robbins's definition that still need to be clarified, despite a vast literature on the subject. When Robbins dealt with this issue, he provided a definition of economics which, according to Backhouse and Medema (2008 2009b: 225), is still the most currently accepted definition of the science – perhaps due in part to the lack of interest that economists have recently exhibited regarding the task of defining their science ( Backhouse and Medema, 2008). As the latter author explained, one of the major themes of this book was the subject matter of the science. Robbins's An Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economic Science (denoted hereafter as Essay) 2 is probably the best known and most widely quoted work on the methodology and philosophy of economics of the last century, as Corry (1987: 207) and Backhouse (1985: 268) point out.
A suggested way of escaping the problems of robbins's conception of scarcity.Is scarcity a consequence of the presence of “alternative uses” or “multiplicity of ends”?.The problematic status of scarcity in robbins's writings.
The concept of scarcity in robbins: the problems it solves and the difficulties it generates.What does wealth consist of? the inclusion of material and nonmaterial utilities.Wealth as the subject-matter of the science.The longstanding problems of the definition and subject-matter of economics.