Francis Ysidro Edgeworth

va ser un filòsof i economista polític irlandès que va fer contribucions importants a l'estadística.

Biografia El seu pare era Francis Beaufort Edgeworth qui es va casar amb una noia catalana adolescent, nascuda a Organyà, Rosa Florentina Eroles, refugiada a Anglaterra, amb qui va coincidir al Museu Britànic. Per això es deia Ysidro, com a mig espanyol que era. Com els seus germans, va ser educat per tutors a la casa familiar, fins el 1861 quan va ingressar en el Trinity College (Dublín) juntament amb el seu germà. El 1867, després de graduar-se en filologia clàssica (llatí i grec), es va traslladar a la universitat d'Oxford com a becari, ingressant primer al Balliol College. En anys successius va passar al Exeter College i al Magdalen Hall, per a tornar al Balliol College en el qual es va graduar en humanitats el 1869, el mateix any que va morir ofegat a Nàpols el seu germà Richard, amb qui tan unit havia estat.

No hi ha massa evidència del que va fer en els anys següents: segurament va estudiar dret perquè va ingressar en el col·legi d'advocats (el Inner Temple) el 1877, al mateix temps que era nomenat professor de grec al Bedford College de Londres i que va fer coneixença amb el psicòleg James Sully, qui va tenir una forta influència en ell i en el seu primer llibre publicat: New and Old Methods of Ethics (1877).

A partir de 1880 va ser professor del King's College de Londres; primer de lògica, després d'economia política i, finalment, de ciències econòmiques i estadística. En aquesta època va publicar el seu llibre més famós: Mathematical Psychics (Psicologia matemàtica) (1881).

El 1891 va ser nomenat per la càtedra Drummond d'Economia de la universitat d'Oxford, càrrec que va mantenir fins que es va retirar el 1922, essent al mateix temps, fellow del All Souls College, on va instal·lar la seva residència. En aquesta època es va anar interessant cada cop més en l'estadística i la teoria de la probabilitat.

miniatura|esquerra|Caixa d'Edgeworth per il·lustrar i analitzar el repartiment de dos bens entre dos individus. Edgeworth va ser una figura influent en el desenvolupament de l'economia neoclàssica i va ser el primer a aplicar certes tècniques matemàtiques per a prendre decisions individuals en economia. Desenvolupà la teoria de la utilitat introduint la corba d'indiferència i la famosa caixa d'Edgeworth, que ara és familiar entre els estudiants de microeconomia. També és l'autor de la Conjectura d'Edgeworth sobre l'equilibri econòmic i en estadística de les Sèries d'Edgeworth.

S'han atribuït erròniament algunes aportacions a Marshall quan en realitat eren d'Edgeworth. Amb la denominada Conjectura d'Edgeworth, fou un dels precursors de la teoria de jocs i la idea que l'economia pot arribar a un estat d'equilibri si tots els adults (sans) estan tots ocupats, va ser font d'interessants polèmiques molt fructíferes.

Va ser el primer editor del Economic Journal; el 1911 Keynes el va succeir com editor.

Publicacions de Francis Ysidro Edgeworth Edgeworth va ser un escriptor molt prolífic: una compilació no gaire acurada dels anys 1950 xifra la seva obra en 4 llibres, 172 articles, 173 ressenyes de llibres i 132 entrades al diccionari Palgrave. Lamentablement, només de forma recent s'ha començat a fer un inventari complet dels seus treballs.

miniatura|esquerra|Papers relating to political economy, 1925 Col·leccions Els reculls més notables d'obres seves que s'han publicat son els següents:

F. Y. Edgeworth (1925) Papers relating to political economy 3 volums. Disponible online a Gallica Charles R. McCann Jr. (ed.) (1966) F.Y. Edgeworth: Writings in Probability, Statistics and Economics, 3 vols. Cheltenham, Glos.: Elgar. Philip Mirowski (ed.) (1994). Edgeworth's Writings on Chance, Economic Hazard, and Statistics, Rowman & Littlefield. Peter Newman (ed.) (2003) F.Y. Edgeworth : Mathematical psychics, and further papers on political economy Oxford University Press.

Treballs individuals "Mr. Mathew Arnold on Bishop Butler's Doctrine of Self-Love", 1876, Mind New and Old Methods of Ethics, 1877. "The Hedonical Calculus", 1879, Mind Mathematical Psychics: An essay on the application of mathematics to the moral sciences, 1881. "Mr. Leslie Stephen on Utilitarianism", 1882, Mind "The Law of Error", 1883, Phil Mag "The Method of Least Squares", 1883, Phil Mag "The Physical Basis of Probability", 1883, Phil Mag "On the Method of Ascertaining a Change in the Value of Gold", 1883, JRSS "Review of Jevons's Investigations", 1884, Academy "The Rationale of Exchange", 1884, JRSS "The Philosophy of Chance", 1884, Mind "On the Reduction of Observations", 1884, Phil Mag "A Priori Probabilities", 1884, Phil Mag "Chance and Law", 1884, Hermathena "Methods of Statistics", 1885, Jubilee Volume of RSS. "The Calculus of Probabilities Applied to Psychic Research, I & II", 1885, 1886, Proceedings of Society for Psychic Research "On Methods of Ascertaining Variations in the Rate of Births, Deaths and Marriages", 1885, JRSS "Progressive Means", 1886, JRSS "The Law of Error and the Elimination of Chance", 1886 Phil Mag "On the Determination of the Modulus of Errors", 1886, Phil Mag "Problems in Probabilities", 1886, Phil Mag "Review of Sidgwick's Scope and Method", 1886, Academy "Review of Jevons's Journals", 1886, Academy "Four Reports by the committee investigating best method of ascertaining and measuring variations in the monetary standard", 1887, Reports of the BAAS (Parts I & 3; Part 2) "Observations and Statistics: An essay on the theory of errors of observation and the first principles of statistics", 1887, Transactions of Cambridge Society. Metretike, or the method of measuring probability and utility, 1887. "On Observations Relating to Several Quantities", 1887, Hermathena "The Law of Error", 1887, Nature "The Choice of Means", 1887, Phil Mag "On Discordant Observations", 1887, Phil Mag "The Empirical Proof of the Law of Error", 1887, Phil Mag "On a New Method of Reducing Observations Relating to Several Quantities", 1888, Phil Mag "New Methods of Measuring Variation in General Prices, 1888, JRSS "The Statistics of Examinations", 1888, JRSS "The Value of Authority Tested by Experiment", 1888, Mind "Mathematical Theory of Banking", 1888, JRSS "On the Application of Mathematics to Political Economy: Address of the President of Section F of the British Association for the Advancement of Science", 1889, JRSS "The Mathematical Theory of Political Economy: Review of Walras's Elements", 1889, Nature "Review of Wicksteed's Alphabet", 1889, Academy "Review of Bohm-Bawerk's Kapital und Kapitalismus", 1889, Academy "Review of Bertrand's Calcul des Probabilites", 1889, J of Education "Points at which Mathematical Reasoning is Applicable to Political Economy", 1889, Nature "Appreciation of Gold", 1889, QJE "The Element of Chance in Competitive Examinations", 1890, JRSS "Economic Science and Statistics", 1889, Nature "Review of Marshall's Principles", 1890, Nature "Review of Jevons's Pure Logic", 1890, Academy "Review of Walras's Elements", 1890, Academy "Review of Bohm-Bawerk's Capital and Interest", 1890, Academy "La Théorie mathématique de l'offre et de la demande et le côut de production", 1891, Revue d'Economie Politique "Osservazioni sulla teoria matematica dell' economica politica", 1891, GdE (trans. "On the Determinateness of Economic Equilibrium") "Ancora a proposito della teoria del baratto", 1891, GdE "Review of Ricardo's Principles", 1891, J of Education "Review of Keynes's Scope and Method", 1891, EJ "An Introductory Lecture on Political Economy", 1891, EJ "Review of Sidgwick's Elements of Politics", 1891, EJ "Review of Second Edition of Marshall's Principles", 1891, EJ "Mathematical Investigations in the Theory of Value and Prices," Connecticut Academy, 1892. "Correlated Averages", 1892, Philos Magazine "The Law of Error and Correlated Averages", 1892, Philos Magazine. "Recent Attempts to Evaluate the Amount of Coin Circulating in a Country", 1892, EJ "Review of Marshall's Economics of Industry", 1892, Nature "Review of Cantillon's Essai", 1892, EJ "Review of Palgrave's Dictionary", 1892, EJ "Review of Bohm-Bawerk's Positive Theory of Capital", 1892, EJ "Review of Smart's Introduction to the Theory of Value", 1892, EJ "Review of Dusing's Das Geschlechtverhaltniss", 1892, EJ "Review of Benson's Capital, Labor and Trade", 1892, EJ "Review of Smart's Women's Wages", 1893 "Review of Bonar's Philosophy", 1893, Mind "Review of Walsh's Bimetallism", 1893, EJ "Review of Fisher's Mathematical Investigations", 1893, EJ "Professor Böhm-Bawerk on the Ultimate Standard of Value", 1894, EJ "One More Word on the Ultimate Standard of Value", 1894, EJ "Review of Wiser's Natural Value", 1894, EJ "Theory of International Values: Parts I, II and III", 1894, EJ "Recent Writings on Index Numbers", 1894, EJ "The Measurement of Utility by Money", 1894, EJ "Asymmetric Correlation between Social Phenomenon", 1894, JRSS Entries: "Average", "Census", "Cournot", "Curves", "Demand Curves", Difficulty of Attainment", "Distance in Time", "Error", 1894, in Palgrave, editor, Dictionary of Political Economy, Vol. 1. "Review of the Webbs' History of Trade Unionism", 1894, EJ "Review of Third Edition of Marshall's Principles", 1895, EJ "Mr. Pierson on the Scarcity of Gold", 1895, EJ "Thoughts on Monetary Reform", 1895, EJ "The Stationary State in Japan", 1895, EJ "A Defense of Index-Numbers", 1896, EJ "Statistics on Unprogressive Communities", 1896, JRSS "The Asymmetrical Probability Curve (Abstract)", 1894, Proceedings of Royal Society "The Asymmetrical Probability Curve", 1896, Phil Mag "The Compound law of Error", 1896, Phil Mag Entries: "Gossen", "Index Numbers", "Intrinsic Value", "Jenkin", "Jennings", "Least Squares" and "Mathematical Method", 1896, in Palgrave, editor, Dictionary of Political Economy, Vol. 2. "Review of Price's Money", 1896, EJ "Review of Nicholson's Strikes and Social Problems", 1896, EJ "Review of Pierson's Leerboek, Vol. 1", 1896, EJ "Review of Pierson's Leerkook, Vol. 2", 1897, EJ "Review of Bastable, Theory of International Trade", 1897, EJ "Review of Grazani's Istituzioni", 1897, EJ "La teoria pura del monopolio", 1897, GdE, (trans."The Pure Theory of Monopoly") "The Pure Theory of Taxation: Parts I, II and III", 1897, EJ "Miscellaneous Applications of the Calculus of Probabilities", Parts 1, 2, 3, 1897, 1898, JRSS "Review of Cournot's Recherches", 1898, EJ "Professor Graziani on the Mathematical Theory of Monopoly", 1898, EJ "Review of Darwin's Bimetallism", 1898, EJ "On the Representation of Statistics by Mathematical Formulae", Part 1 (1898), Parts 2, 3, 4 (1899) "On a Point in the Theory of International Trade", 1899, EJ "Review of Davidson, Bargain Theory of Wages", 1899, EJ "Professor Seligman on the Mathematical Method in Political Economy", 1899, EJ Entries: "Pareto", "Pareto's Law", "Probability", Supply Curve" and "Utility", 1899, in Palgrave, editor, Dictionary of Political Economy, Vol. 3 "Answers to Questions by Local Taxation Commission", 1899, Reprint of Royal Commission for Local Taxation "The Incidence of Urban Rates, Parts I, II and III" 1900, EJ "Defence of Mr. Harrison's Calculation of the Rupee Circulation", 1900, EJ "Review of J.B. Clark's Theory of Distribution", 1900, EJ "Review of Smart's Taxation of Land-Values", 1900, EJ "Review of Bastable, Theory of International Trade (3rd edition)", 1897, EJ "Review of Bonar and Hollander, Letters of Ricardo", 1900, EJ "Mr. Walsh on the Measurement of General Exchange Value", 1901, EJ "Disputed Points in the Theory of International Trade", 1901, EJ "Review of Gide's Cooperation", 1902, EJ "Review of Wells's Anticipations", 1902, EJ