Episode 1 of 2

Publication of Theory of Political Economy

When: 1871
Where: United Kingdom
Part of: Jevons and Menger publish the founding works of neoclassical economics

Jevons published his fully developed doctrines in 1871, establishing the mathematical method in economics.

Jevons's Theory of Political Economy (1871) made the case that economics is necessarily mathematical. It treated utility as a continuous mathematical function of quantity. This work established his reputation as a leading political economist and logician.

Sources

William Stanley Jevons Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-26

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.