Edward Taylor – Outstanding Economist and Educator

Purpose: The aim of this article is to reflect on the phenomenon of creativity, activity, output, extensive knowledge and interests of the Polish Scot, Edward Taylor – an outstanding economist and educator in the 20th century. I wish to draw attention to where his contribution was seen as the greatest and to the challenges that he indicated, particularly in the field of the theory and practice of economics. The aim is also to establish what thoughts of his have stood the test of time, which thoughts and convictions of his are still important and valid today, which may be an inspiration for contemporary Polish scientists, educators, students, and a wide range of readers who are interested in problematic economics, management, and political science issues. A brief description of the scientific output of professor E. Taylor is presented, as well as his opinions on the subject of the Polish economy and academic teaching, along with his non-professional interests, passions of life and interest in all facets of life. He could have been included in the liberal school of thought; in terms of a wide range of issues, his views were confluent with those of the most outstanding representatives of the Austrian School of Economics, albeit he didn’t belong to it. Design/methodology/approach: The following research techniques were used in the article: comparative analysis of literature (not only economic), deduction, induction, synthesis. Originality/value: Relatively original content: liberal thought in interwar Poland struggled to break through totalitarian ideologies, which had some supporters here, and also through nationalism and clericalism. After nearly a hundred years, at the turn of the second and third decades of the 21st century, things were generally similar. The reason for this is mainly the economic infantilism of a large part of society, susceptible to populist demagogy and the giving away of money by the current power. Teaching economics is objectively difficult for a variety of reasons. And then and now it does not generally produce good results. It means negative social and political consequences. Taylor’s diagnosis and counteractions were correct. They are worth getting to know better and continuing. Findings: The article shows the versatility of Taylor, who was not only an outstanding economist, educator, organizer of science, publisher and editor of a long scientific series, but also a man deeply involved in many different fields. He was a co-founder of the Polish Economic Society. He was a reformer of the Polish treasury. He fought against inflation and supported the development of the maritime economy. He was strongly involved in the development of cooperatives and territorial self-government. In each of these areas, he brought new ideas, values and solutions. His phenomenal interdisciplinarity and activity is shown.

Theory versus History of Social Economy

The paper is an English translation of Teoria a historia gospodarstwa społecznego by Edward Taylor published originally in Polish in “Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny” in 1962. The text is published as a part of a jubilee edition of the “Adam Mickiewicz University Law Review. 100th Anniversary of the Faculty of Law and Administration” devoted to the achievements of the late Professors of the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań.

OKRES BUDŻETOWY W UJĘCIU POZNAŃSKIEJ SZKOŁY SKARBOWOŚCI

Poznań School of Public Finance was created in 1919 by professor Edward Taylor, a member of the Law and Economy Faculty of the Poznan´ University, and a mentor and moral role model for thousands of Polish lawyers and economists that followed. For political reasons, for fifty years after World War II, the research work of the Department of Financial Law of the University’s Law and Economy Faculty concentrated on budget laws. In that period Poznan´ became a leading research centre specialising in state and local finance in Poland. The paper presents selected dissertations of the researchers from the Department of Financial Law, devoted to the pioneering aspects of the budget period and long-term financial planning.

The Flesh Profiteth Nothing

The first chapter reviews the early modern interpretive fortunes of the most influential Johannine passages from the patristic through the early modern period: the bread of life discourses from John 6:26–59. Jesus’ designation of himself as the “bread of life” and “living bread” and his remarks on eating his flesh exert a profound influence on conceptions of the Eucharist from Augustine onward, prompting not only Ulrich Zwingli but also Thomas Cranmer and several English theologians to equate “eating” with believing. The burden of this chapter is to reconstruct the neglected influence of the bread of life discourse in the sacramental poems of George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Richard Crashaw, and Edward Taylor.