We examine Coase's biographical work on Marshall and his discussions of Marshall's economics for clues as to the sources of Coase's affinity for Marshall. And as we shall see, the evidence suggests explanations that are at once personal and professional.

The role of first principles in economics is examined through the lens of dominant methodological approaches of the classical and neoclassical periods. First principles are most clearly displayed in pure deductive systems. The tension between first principles as the basis for deductivist...