Once Again About Political Economy as a Scientific and Educational Discipline (on the Debated Aspects of the Problem)

Abstract

Russian scientific economic literature continues to discuss the problem of the modern evolution of political economy as a science and its return as an academic discipline in the number of mandatory university courses. In this regard, the article, firstly, examines the historical fate and the current state of Marxist political economy, emphasizes its fundamental difference from other economic theories. Secondly, — considerable attention is paid to neoclassical economic theory and an academic discipline called «economics». The historical circumstances of the emergence of this term are shown and the place of neoclassicism in the Western classification of economic sciences is characterized. Thirdly, — for a comprehensive analysis of the economy, it is proposed to use general economic theory as a combination (a special kind of aggregate) of all modern schools, directions and programs of economic theory, unified in the object, but differing in the subject and method of research. It is emphasized that the role of the basis and historically and logically the initial component of this theory is played by political economy.