Austrian Economics and Pictograms: A Connection?

2 December 2007 at 1:27 pm Nicolai Foss 4 comments

| Nicolai Foss |

Here is a possible research subject for a historian of ideas. The invention of pictograms is very often ascribed to Otto Neurath, Austrian philosopher (hardcore positivist) and political economist. Of course, pictograms go back much longer. For example, “A” is essentially a pictogram, namely the inverted head of a cow. Still, Neurath contributed very significantly in coming up with new designs for pictograms, designs that are still with us, codifying the art of the pictogram, disseminating and propagandizing for their use, etc.

Now, Neurath was a participant in the Böhm-Bawerk seminar, and a contemporary of Ludwig von Mises whom he clearly knew. Mises didn’t symphatize with Neurath’s view, and this lack of sympathy may have been reciprocated by Neurath. Still, it is at least conceivable that Mises’ views on prices as necessary for rational economic action may have influenced Neurath-the-inventor-of-the-pictogram (Mises’ views were formed and published before Neurath’s work on pictograms). Prices summarize information and provide direction in a complex world. Pictograms do the same. A possible connection?

Entry filed under: - Foss -, Austrian Economics.

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4 Comments Add your own

1. seiphcaim | 2 December 2007 at 6:37 pm

Look at the work of Robert Leonard….He has done extensive work on Neurath, Morgenstern, Neumann… and the austrian mind of that time… and especially, he works on the link betwenn economics and visual represenations
History of Economics already tackles the issues you mention…
Cheers
2. seiphcaim | 2 December 2007 at 6:40 pm

By the way… I checked my bibliography and found this article by R. Leonard:
”Seeing is Believing: Otto Neurath, Graphic Art and the Social Order”, History of Political Economy, Special Issue: Economists and Art, Historically Considered, 1999, pp. 452-478.
Surely interesting…
Cheers
3. Nicolai Foss | 3 December 2007 at 1:53 am

Seiphcam, Very interesting. Thanks. I had a _specific_ point in mind – namely, the analogy between the guiding role of prices and that of pictograms. Is this “tackled” in the stuff you mention?
4. seiphcaim | 3 December 2007 at 6:40 pm

It seems that what has been studied on Neurath’s works about visualization (and use of pictograms) is its pedagogical use for informing the society (especially the working classes of that time).
I do not find link with neither Mises nor Bohm-B and no mention of a link between prices and pictograms (“price” is not even mentionned in the texts i rapidly browse for this attempt of response).
For an extensive bibliography on the subject, try:
http://members.chello.nl/j.seegers1/ottoneurath/neurath_biblio.html

And excuse me for my deficient english and use of the word “tackle”… it’s how we employed it in my classroom some years ago and it remains a bad habit.
Cheers