Over more than two centuries the development of economic theory has
created a wide array of different theories, concepts and results.
Nevertheless, there is no general theory, which mrifies these varied
theories into a comprehensive one. Economics has been split between
partial and conflicting representations of the functioning of market
economies. We have a collection of separate theories such as the Marxian
economics, the Keynesian economics, the general equilibrium theory, and
the neoclassical growth theory. These diverse economic theories have
co-existed but not in a structured relationship with each other.
Economic students are trained to understand economic phenomena by
severally incompatible theories one by one in the same course. Since the
end of Second Wodd War many crises in economic theory have been
announced. The economist experienced the crisis of the general
equilibrium economics, the crisis of the neoclassical growth economics,
the crisis of the Keynesian economics, not to mention the crises of the
Marxian economics. It is quite reasonable to expect the loss of
confidence in theoretical economics even among professional economists
after so many crises in a very short period of time. But a crisis offers
new opportmrities for change, either for better or for worse. The past
crises in theoretical economics may be perceived as a historical
opportmrity to construct a general economic theory by which the
traditional theories are integrated into a higher whole.