理论经济学大体上已经转向使用愈益精细和愈益复杂的数理方法。在经济学中数学的应用至少可追溯到19世纪的顾尔诺,然而数理方法取得象今天这样的支配地位,却是近一二十年的事情。这有两个理由。第一,由于认识到经济学家感到兴趣的大多数问题过于复杂,不能完全依靠文字叙述结合二度空间的图示来处理。第二,由于经济学开始成熟起来,更严密分析的愿望产生了,正如 Theoretical economics has generally shifted to using increasingly sophisticated and increasingly complex mathematical methods. The use of mathematics in economics dates back at least to Gulnou in the nineteenth century, but it has been a matter of nearly a decade for mathematical methods to achieve dominance like today. There are two reasons for this. First, in recognition of the fact that most of the issues of interest to economists are overly complex, they can not be dealt with purely on account of the narratives of the space and of the second dimension. Second, since economics began to mature, the desire for closer analysis emerged