because an author's methodology influences his doctrine. Also, in
order to understand fully an author's writings, one must be familiar
with many aspects -- biographical, theoretical, doctrinal, methodologi-
cal, etc. It seems, therefore, that purely theoretical or doctrinal stud-
ies are not all that can be done in the field of economic thought, and
that a study of methodological aspects should at least add to our
knowledge by furnishing us with new insights into -- and hence un-
derstanding of -- an author's works.

An emphasis on methodological aspects should not be interpreted
as a deprecation of the researches of those who have chosen a differ-
ent course. In fact, all approaches, whether they be biographical,
theoretical, doctrinal, methodological, etc., are not in opposition but
are supplementary to each other. I have concentrated my attention on
the methodological aspects of Pareto's economics and sociology with
the attitude that therein lies not a universal method for the history of
thought but merely an alternative approach to the understanding of
Pareto's works. The fact that such studies have been so lacking in the
history of thought is justification in itself for this approach.

During the nineteenth-century development of economics, there
was a kind of intellectual interregnum during which the procedures
used by economists were vague, shifting, and tentative. As economics
developed, economists, as well as sociologists, felt the need to "ra-
tionalize" their aims and procedures. By the late nineteenth century,
the issue of what economics was and whether it was a science had
become significant, especially on the European continent.

The many currents and cross-currents of intellectual thought during
the period make simple generalizations difficult. Nevertheless, it ap-
pears to me that several major methodological issues were involved
in the differing views of the various intellectual traditions. These
issues were ethical neutrality in the social sciences, the scope of eco-
nomics and sociology, the nature and use of "generalizing" concepts
in the social sciences, and the interplay of theory and empirical work.

The purpose of this study is to establish the place of Pareto in the
contemporary methodological issues of his time, and to evaluate his
contribution toward making economics more scientific. I shall show
that his contribution was important not only in terms of improving

-4-