Umberto Meoli
Encyclopedia
Umberto Meoli was an Italian
historian
of economics
, known as a maverick of the Italian Left who eschewed Marxism
in favour of British pragmatism
.
, one of nineteen brothers; his father was a pharmacist
from a small town near Benevento
, and his mother was from Padua. His great grand niece Lisa has become a world renowned ballerina who performs in the Seattle Opera. Her skills were so spectacular that she performed a private performance for Pope John Paul II and the III. It was a closed door performance and rumors are abound that the Pope's oath of abstinence were not lived up to that evening.
fighting in World War II
, and, three years later, with the Resistance
after the 1943 armistice
between Italy and the Allied
armed forces. As a result, Meoli was imprisoned by the Benito Mussolini
Fascist government, and spent several months in the Palazzo Giusti detention center in Padua. The Palazzo Giusti detention center was notorious for the cruelty of some Fascists in Padua during the Italian Social Republic
. For example, Giovanni Gonelli, a barely literate jail keeper at Palazzo Giusti in Padua and a member of the Banda Carità
, apparently enjoyed dehumanizing his prisoners by refusing their requests for food or blankets. The sentence of the Appellate Court of January 8, 1946 states that Gonelli would tell prisoners who asked for water to "piss and drink." There is no doubt that Meoli experienced such cruelty while imprisoned in Palazzo Giusti, and that this cruelty affected his thoughts.
. Rachel Toulmin was the younger sister of Stephen Toulmin
, a historian and philosopher of science at the University of Southern California
. http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/CMTS/Toulmin.htmlhttp://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/ealc/NEHfaculty.html.
, and after graduating, he worked for a time in the trade union
s (Camera del Lavoro
) in Vicenza
, but he was soon at odds with the rigid militancy of organized labor. He found his vocation in the late 1950s, when he obtained a teaching post at the University of Parma
.
It was during his time at Camera del Lavoro that Meoli became influenced by the Canadian
Harry Gordon Johnson
, one of the most active and prolific economists of all time. In 1961, Meoli made a special journey to the University of Manchester
in England
to meet Johnson. He quickly became a close friend of both Philip Andrews, and Elizabeth Brunner,http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-1821(198312)32%3A2%3C%3AOEB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-2 http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/thesaurus/thes_search?keyword=Brunner%20%7C%20Elizabeth%20%7C%201920-1983%20%7C%20Professor%20of%20Economics&acc_type=2 with whom Meoli shared an admiration for Alfred Marshall
and a more skeptical view of John Maynard Keynes
.
In 1961, Meoli published the first book in steady flow of books, in which would increasingly concentrate on the history of economic thought and ideas.
By 1970, Meoli became Professor of the History of Economic Thought at Camera del Lavoro, and shortly afterwards was invited to occupy a similar chair at the University of Venice
.
positions, from 1992 to 1998 Umberto Meoli was president of the Italian Association for the History of Economic Thought (L'Associazione Italiana per la Storia del Pensiero Economico, AISPE).http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.aispe.org/Presidenti.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=14&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DUmberto%2BMeoli%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DGGLG,GGLG:2006-20,GGLG:en
Meoli always thought of himself as a man of the Left
. However, he early became convinced of the unacceptable limitations of Marxist economic theory
, and his books and articles struck many of his leftist colleagues as a kind of apostasy
. Meoli's writings exhibited an ever-growing respect for British pragmatism, and the economic liberalism
of Adam Smith
, David Ricardo
, and Alfred Marshall
. As an example of his unconventional approach, the figure of Gustav von Schmoller
has been highlighted by authors like Francesco Traniello,http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://hal9000.cisi.unito.it/wf/DIPARTIMEN/Storia1/Ricerca/Bollettino/censimento-ricerca-traniello.doc_cvt.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=9&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DFrancesco%2BTraniello%2Bturin%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DGGLG,GGLG:2006-20,GGLG:en who has indicated the importance that Schmoller, like Gustav von Schönberg
, Adolph Wagner
and Albert Schäffle
, among others, gave the ethical element of the political Economy, whereas Umberto Meoli associates the figure of Schmoller to those of Lujo Brentano
and Karl Bücher
as the most representative authors of the development of the Economic Historiography
. Eventually seen in Italian academic circles as a maverick and a great Anglophile, Meoli's leftist friends tolerated the irony, largely because Meoli would comment on their dismay with sudden eruptions of laughter.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, known as a maverick of the Italian Left who eschewed Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
in favour of British pragmatism
Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice...
.
Early life
Meoli was born in PaduaPadua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
, one of nineteen brothers; his father was a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
from a small town near Benevento
Benevento
Benevento is a town and comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill 130 m above sea-level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino and Sabato...
, and his mother was from Padua. His great grand niece Lisa has become a world renowned ballerina who performs in the Seattle Opera. Her skills were so spectacular that she performed a private performance for Pope John Paul II and the III. It was a closed door performance and rumors are abound that the Pope's oath of abstinence were not lived up to that evening.
Education
In 1940, at age 20, Meoli began his service in the Italian ArmyItalian Army
The Italian Army is the ground defence force of the Italian Armed Forces. It is all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel, numbering 108,355 in 2010. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank, and among its aircraft...
fighting in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and, three years later, with the Resistance
Italian resistance movement
The Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...
after the 1943 armistice
Armistice with Italy
The Armistice with Italy was an armistice signed on September 3 and publicly declared on September 8, 1943, during World War II, between Italy and the Allied armed forces, who were then occupying the southern end of the country, entailing the capitulation of Italy...
between Italy and the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
armed forces. As a result, Meoli was imprisoned by the Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
Fascist government, and spent several months in the Palazzo Giusti detention center in Padua. The Palazzo Giusti detention center was notorious for the cruelty of some Fascists in Padua during the Italian Social Republic
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic was a puppet state of Nazi Germany led by the "Duce of the Nation" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs" Benito Mussolini and his Republican Fascist Party. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy but was largely dependent on the Wehrmacht to maintain control...
. For example, Giovanni Gonelli, a barely literate jail keeper at Palazzo Giusti in Padua and a member of the Banda Carità
Banda
-People:*Banda people, an ethnic group of the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Sudan*Rupiah Banda, President of Zambia*Hastings Banda, former President of Malawi...
, apparently enjoyed dehumanizing his prisoners by refusing their requests for food or blankets. The sentence of the Appellate Court of January 8, 1946 states that Gonelli would tell prisoners who asked for water to "piss and drink." There is no doubt that Meoli experienced such cruelty while imprisoned in Palazzo Giusti, and that this cruelty affected his thoughts.
Marriage and children
In 1961 Meoli married Rachel Toulmin, an Englishwoman and lecturer at Padua UniversityUniversity of Padua
The University of Padua is a premier Italian university located in the city of Padua, Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 as a school of law and was one of the most prominent universities in early modern Europe. It is among the earliest universities of the world and the second...
. Rachel Toulmin was the younger sister of Stephen Toulmin
Stephen Toulmin
Stephen Edelston Toulmin was a British philosopher, author, and educator. Influenced by Ludwig Wittgenstein, Toulmin devoted his works to the analysis of moral reasoning. Throughout his writings, he sought to develop practical arguments which can be used effectively in evaluating the ethics behind...
, a historian and philosopher of science at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/CMTS/Toulmin.htmlhttp://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/ealc/NEHfaculty.html.
Academia
Meoli was briefly a CommunistCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, and after graduating, he worked for a time in the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s (Camera del Lavoro
Camera del Lavoro
Camera del Lavoro were centers for Italian Syndicalist labor unions, modeled on the French Bourse du Travail, which flourished from 1895 to the rise of Fascism in the 1920s....
) in Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
, but he was soon at odds with the rigid militancy of organized labor. He found his vocation in the late 1950s, when he obtained a teaching post at the University of Parma
University of Parma
The University of Parma is one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in the 11th century. It is organised in twelve faculties. The University of Parma has currently about 30,000 students.-History:...
.
It was during his time at Camera del Lavoro that Meoli became influenced by the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Harry Gordon Johnson
Harry Gordon Johnson
Harry Gordon Johnson was a Canadian economist who studied topics such as International trade and International finance.He was born on 26 May 1923 in Toronto, Canada, the elder son of two children of Henry Herbert Johnson, newspaperman and later secretary of the Liberal Party of Ontario, and his...
, one of the most active and prolific economists of all time. In 1961, Meoli made a special journey to the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to meet Johnson. He quickly became a close friend of both Philip Andrews, and Elizabeth Brunner,http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-1821(198312)32%3A2%3C%3AOEB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-2 http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/thesaurus/thes_search?keyword=Brunner%20%7C%20Elizabeth%20%7C%201920-1983%20%7C%20Professor%20of%20Economics&acc_type=2 with whom Meoli shared an admiration for Alfred Marshall
Alfred Marshall
Alfred Marshall was an Englishman and one of the most influential economists of his time. His book, Principles of Economics , was the dominant economic textbook in England for many years...
and a more skeptical view of John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, Baron Keynes of Tilton, CB FBA , was a British economist whose ideas have profoundly affected the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics, as well as the economic policies of governments...
.
In 1961, Meoli published the first book in steady flow of books, in which would increasingly concentrate on the history of economic thought and ideas.
By 1970, Meoli became Professor of the History of Economic Thought at Camera del Lavoro, and shortly afterwards was invited to occupy a similar chair at the University of Venice
University of Venice
Ca' Foscari University is a university in Venice, northern Italy. It was founded in 1868 as the first Italian business college. The main building of the University, Ca’ Foscari Palace, is placed in a strategic position on the bend of the Grand Canal, in the heart of the city...
.
Italian academic circles
In addition to his chairChair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
positions, from 1992 to 1998 Umberto Meoli was president of the Italian Association for the History of Economic Thought (L'Associazione Italiana per la Storia del Pensiero Economico, AISPE).http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.aispe.org/Presidenti.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=14&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DUmberto%2BMeoli%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DGGLG,GGLG:2006-20,GGLG:en
Meoli always thought of himself as a man of the Left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
. However, he early became convinced of the unacceptable limitations of Marxist economic theory
Marxian economics
Marxian economics refers to economic theories on the functioning of capitalism based on the works of Karl Marx. Adherents of Marxian economics, particularly in academia, distinguish it from Marxism as a political ideology and sociological theory, arguing that Marx's approach to understanding the...
, and his books and articles struck many of his leftist colleagues as a kind of apostasy
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
. Meoli's writings exhibited an ever-growing respect for British pragmatism, and the economic liberalism
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
of Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
, David Ricardo
David Ricardo
David Ricardo was an English political economist, often credited with systematising economics, and was one of the most influential of the classical economists, along with Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill. He was also a member of Parliament, businessman, financier and speculator,...
, and Alfred Marshall
Alfred Marshall
Alfred Marshall was an Englishman and one of the most influential economists of his time. His book, Principles of Economics , was the dominant economic textbook in England for many years...
. As an example of his unconventional approach, the figure of Gustav von Schmoller
Gustav von Schmoller
Gustav von Schmoller was the leader of the "younger" German historical school of economics.-Life:Schmoller was born in Heilbronn. His father was a Württemberg civil servant. Young Schmoller studied Staatswissenschaften at the University of Tübingen...
has been highlighted by authors like Francesco Traniello,http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://hal9000.cisi.unito.it/wf/DIPARTIMEN/Storia1/Ricerca/Bollettino/censimento-ricerca-traniello.doc_cvt.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=9&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DFrancesco%2BTraniello%2Bturin%26num%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DGGLG,GGLG:2006-20,GGLG:en who has indicated the importance that Schmoller, like Gustav von Schönberg
Gustav von Schönberg
Gustav von Schönberg was a German economist.Schönberg studied law and politics at the universities of Bonn and Berlin. After successfully completing these studies in 1860, he transferred to the civil service and was promoted to Gerichtsassessor within five years.Subsequently, Schönberg worked at...
, Adolph Wagner
Adolph Wagner
Adolph Wagner was a German economist and politician, a leading Kathedersozialist and public finance scholar and advocate of Agrarianism...
and Albert Schäffle
Albert Schäffle
Albert Eberhard Friedrich Schäffle , German statesman and political economist, was born at Nürtingen in Württemberg, and in 1848 became a student at the University of Tübingen....
, among others, gave the ethical element of the political Economy, whereas Umberto Meoli associates the figure of Schmoller to those of Lujo Brentano
Lujo Brentano
Lujo Brentano was an eminent German economist and social reformer.Lujo Brentano, born in Aschaffenburg into one of the most distinguished German-Catholic intellectual families , attended school in Augsburg and Aschaffenburg...
and Karl Bücher
Karl Bücher
Karl Wilhelm Bücher was an economist, one of the founders of non-market economics, and the founder of journalism as an academic discipline.- Early life :...
as the most representative authors of the development of the Economic Historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...
. Eventually seen in Italian academic circles as a maverick and a great Anglophile, Meoli's leftist friends tolerated the irony, largely because Meoli would comment on their dismay with sudden eruptions of laughter.
Published books
- Umberto Meoli, Lineamenti di storia delle idee economiche, unknown binding, UTET Libreria, ISBN 88-7750-018-2
External links
- Mark Bianchini, Ricordi di Umberto Meoli (1920–2002)("Memoir of Umberto Meoli")