CONCEPT OF ECONOMY THROUGH CENTURIES

For a long period of time the concept of economy (oikonomia) denoted a know-how of household governing. Household implies entirety of persons and properties which emerged from a family established by a man-master and a woman for easier survival and getting descendants. Four groups of relations dominated in it: relations of master and commodities, relations of husband and wife, relations of parents and children and relations of master towards property. First, the article talks about the concept oikonomia used by Socrat’s students Xenophon and Plato, and later it exposes in more details Aristotel’s subject of that concept. For the first time, in description of mentioned relations beside philosophical records are richly used biblical writers’ texts. This attitude turned out to be productive because descriptions in Bible are often more comprehensive and always more attractive than philosophers’ descriptions. The survey of economy in the sense of household businesses governing ends with detailed analysis of main relations in comprehensive work of Dubrovniker Nikola Vidov Gučetić “Upravljanje obitelji” (Family governing) published in1589. This work shows that the concept economy (oikonomia) with a cited meaning has not changed for centuries. Besides, the article especially suggests generalization of know-howof household businesses governing to know-how of governing businesses of city-state, aswell as to disconnecting property and governing. The substance of concept economy(oikonomia) in the sense of know-how of household businesses governing clearly shows why long ago socio-economic questions belonged to ethics and politics. Finally it is shown contemporary concept economy in the meaning of organization system for production, exchange, distribution and consumption of good and services inorder to satisfy wishes of people in some community. This system relies upon four basic elements: means, technology, consumers’ preferences and institutions. Contemporary concept economy (oikonomia) is more general than the former concept. Difference between contemporary and former comprehension of economy is especially evident in variety of institutions. In contemporary definition former moral relations between master and commodities, man and wife, parents and children are not mentioned at all. A word economy (gospodarstvo) is very often used as a synonym for a word economics (ekonomija). This usage is fully valid because formerly a master governed a household. Nowadays, economics and economy are synonymous and associative words, words which do not have original meaning.