<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.jesushuertadesoto.com/articles/articles-in-english/juan-de-mariana-and-the-spanish-scholastics/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Huerta de Soto, Jesús</a>. “<a href="https://mises.org/library/biography-juan-de-mariana-influence-spanish-scholastics-1536-1624" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Biography of Juan de Mariana: The Influence of the Spanish Scholastics (1536-1624)</a>.” Article. <em>Mises Institute</em> (blog), August 1, 2007:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p>the Jesuit Cardinal <strong>Juan de Lugo</strong>, wondering what the price of equilibrium was, as early as 1643 reached the conclusion that <strong>the equilibrium depended on such a large number of specific circumstances that only God was able to know it</strong> (&quot;<em>Pretium iustum mathematicum licet soli Deo notum</em>&quot;).<sup>9</sup> Another Jesuit, <strong>Juan de Salas</strong>, referring to the possibilities of knowing specific market information, reached the very Hayekian conclusion that it was so complex that &quot;<em>quas exacte comprehendere et ponderare Dei est non hominum</em>&quot; (<strong>only God, not men, can understand it exactly</strong>).<sup>10</sup><hr><sup>9. Juan de Lugo (1583 1660), <em>Disputationes de iustitia et iure</em> (Lyon, 1642), vol. 2, d. 26, s. 4, n. 40, p. 312.<br>10. Juan de Salas, <em>Commentarii in secundam secundae D. Thomae de contractibus</em> (Lyon, 1617), vol. 4, no. 6, p. 9.</sup></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-27T12:09:08.613Z
Your answer is out of sync with your question :(
You ask about controlling economies, but then talk about whether an equilibrium is calculable; you write the context may have been against Keynesian economics and Newtonian determinism, but then cite a source that predates both of these.
Giskard
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-28T00:04:18.693Z
@Giskard What came to be called Newtonian determinism predates Newton.
Geremia
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-28T00:05:34.317Z
Interesting! What about the other stuff though?
Giskard
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-25T22:13:14.767Z
2023-11-25T22:13:14.767Z
Geremia
<p>Which <a href="https://mises.org/library/spanish-scholastics" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Spanish scholastic economist</a> said that economies could not be controlled even if one could track every transaction?</p>
<p>I think the context was an argument against Keynesian economics, <a href="https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10100a.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cartesian mechanism</a>, and/or <a href="https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04756c.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Newtonian determinism</a>.</p>

<reference-request><history-economic-thought><history><keynesian-economics><philosophy-of-economics>
Which Spanish scholastic economist said that economies could not be controlled even if one could track every transaction?
Geremia
# Which Spanish scholastic economist said that economies could not be controlled even if one could track every transaction?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-11-25)

Which [Spanish scholastic economist](https://mises.org/library/spanish-scholastics) said that economies could not be controlled even if one could track every transaction?

I think the context was an argument against Keynesian economics, [Cartesian mechanism](https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10100a.htm), and/or [Newtonian determinism](https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04756c.htm).

**Tags:** reference-request, history-economic-thought, history, keynesian-economics, philosophy-of-economics


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2023-11-25. Score: 0 | Accepted answer

* [Huerta de Soto, Jesús](https://www.jesushuertadesoto.com/articles/articles-in-english/juan-de-mariana-and-the-spanish-scholastics/). “[Biography of Juan de Mariana: The Influence of the Spanish Scholastics (1536-1624)](https://mises.org/library/biography-juan-de-mariana-influence-spanish-scholastics-1536-1624).” Article. *Mises Institute* (blog), August 1, 2007:

> the Jesuit Cardinal **Juan de Lugo**, wondering what the price of equilibrium was, as early as 1643 reached the conclusion that **the equilibrium depended on such a large number of specific circumstances that only God was able to know it** ("*Pretium iustum mathematicum licet soli Deo notum*").9 Another Jesuit, **Juan de Salas**, referring to the possibilities of knowing specific market information, reached the very Hayekian conclusion that it was so complex that "*quas exacte comprehendere et ponderare Dei est non hominum*" (**only God, not men, can understand it exactly**).10
>
> ---
>
> 9. Juan de Lugo (1583 1660), *Disputationes de iustitia et iure* (Lyon, 1642), vol. 2, d. 26, s. 4, n. 40, p. 312.  
> 10. Juan de Salas, *Commentarii in secundam secundae D. Thomae de contractibus* (Lyon, 1617), vol. 4, no. 6, p. 9.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Your answer is out of sync with your question :( You ask about controlling economies, but then talk about whether an equilibrium is calculable; you write the context may have been against Keynesian economics and Newtonian determinism, but then cite a source that predates both of these.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 What came to be called Newtonian determinism predates Newton.  
> **username_1**: Interesting! What about the other stuff though?  

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