astronomy

James Bonar (economist)

James Bonar (economist) is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand James Bonar (economist) rather than just read about it. In short: James Bonar (27 September 1852 – 18 January 1941) was a Scottish civil servant, political economist and historian of economic thought. Biography He was born in Perth.

Key takeaways

James Bonar (economist) belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect James Bonar (economist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of James Bonar (economist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James Bonar (27 September 1852 – 18 January 1941) was a Scottish civil servant, political economist and historian of economic thought.

Biography He was born in Perth. He was brought up, from the age of four, in Glasgow where his father was a Church of Scotland Minister. This clerical background extends to two uncles, both ministers who 'came out' in the disruption of 1843, both later serving terms as Moderator of the Free Church General Assembly. From Glasgow Academy Bonar graduated MA in Mental Philosophy from Glasgow University in 1874. He followed the same lengthy undergraduate career that Adam Smith pursued more than a century before gaining a Snell Exhibition to Balliol College, Oxford from which he graduated with a first in 1877. A major early influence was the moral philosopher, Edward Caird: first as Professor at Glasgow and then as Master of Balliol. Together with his family background that influence helps explain Bonar's decision to spend the next three years teaching economics in the newly established University Extension Movement in the East End of London. In 1881 he began a career in the civil service only retiring (to live in Hampstead) from his final position, as Deputy Manager of the Ottawa branch of the Royal mint, in 1919 at the age of 67. In 1886, with J. H. Muirhead and others, Bonar was instrumental in establishing the London Ethical Society, the first ethical society in the UK. Although the LES became the London School of Ethics and Philosophy in 1897 (which was later absorbed in the London School of Economics), it was the first of a growing number of ethical societies which prompted the formation of the Union of Ethical Societies in 1896, known today as Humanists UK. He was awarded an LLD from Glasgow University in 1887, and an honorary doctorate from Cambridge University in 1935.

Major publications Parson Malthus, 1881. Malthus and his Work, 1885. Letters of David Ricardo to Thomas Robert Malthus: 1810–1823 (ed.), 1887. "Austrian economists and their view of value", 1888, QJE Bonar, James (1891). "The value of labor in relation to economic theory". The Quarterly Journal of Economics. 5 (2): 137–164. doi:10.2307/1882969. JSTOR 1882969. Philosophy and Political Economy, 1893 (3rd ed. 1922; 4th ed. 1927) А Catalogue of Adam Smith's Library, 1894. Bonar, J (1898). "The Centenary of Malthus". The Economic Journal. 8 (30): 206–208. doi:10.2307/2957360. JSTOR 2957360. Letters of David Ricardo to Hutches Trower and Others: 1811–1823 (with J.H. Hollander), 1899. Disturbing Elements in the Study and Teaching of Political Economy, 1911. "Knapp's theory of money", 1922, EJ Ricardo's Ingot Plan, 1923, EJ "Memories of F.Y. Edgeworth", 1926, EJ The Tables Turned. A Lecture and Dialogue on Adam Smith and the Classical Economists. London: Macmillan & Company. 1931. Retrieved 10 September 2023. "Ricardo on Malthus", 1929, EJ Theories of Population from Raleigh to Arthur Young, 1931

Notes

References "Dr. James Bonar: Philosopher and Economist". The Times: 7. 20 January 1941. Shirras, G. F. (April 1941). "'Obituary: James Bonar'". Economic Journal. 51: 145–56. doi:10.1093/ej/51.201.145. JSTOR 2225667. "Bonar, James" in The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, Eatwell, Milgate, Newman (eds.), 1987. "Bonar, James" in Rutherford D (ed.) The Biographical Dictionary of British Economists' vol.1, Theommes Continuum, 2004, pp. 123–4.

External links Works by or about James Bonar at Wikisource Works by James Bonar at Project Gutenberg Works by James Bonar at Faded Page (Canada) Works by or about James Bonar at the Internet Archive Portraits of James Bonar at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James Bonar (economist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what James Bonar (economist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to James Bonar (economist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about James Bonar (economist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of James Bonar (economist)

In research: James Bonar (economist) appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses James Bonar (economist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: James Bonar (economist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1852 births, 1941 deaths, 19th-century British economists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James Bonar (economist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study James Bonar (economist) in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is James Bonar (economist) in simple terms?

James Bonar (27 September 1852 – 18 January 1941) was a Scottish civil servant, political economist and historian of economic thought. Biography He was born in Perth.

Why does James Bonar (economist) matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study James Bonar (economist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on James Bonar (economist).