Some Reflections on THP from a Dual Perspective

Abstract

This paper analyses and discusses the role of the HET in university curricula, confirming the importance and usefulness of THP. The approach used is twofold. On the one hand, it recounts and expresses the doubts and uncertainties that mainstream teaching raises in curious and critical students. On the other hand, the problem is analysed from the teacher's point of view, attempting to present a discussion on how to respond to these questions. To this end, the teaching of the HET becomes fundamental, both within other courses (including basic ones) and as a separate discipline. Through the study of HET it is possible to really understand the contradictions, differences and similarities of the various approaches, as well as to cultivate and nurture critical thinking. The latter in fact stagnates as political economy (or economics) is presented as a single monolith of seemingly perfect equations, often useless in explaining the functioning and complexity of the real-world economy. These reflections lead to an adherence to the THP approach in the economic sphere, which emphasises the historical and social context in which the theories and ideas of economic thinkers originate, with the aim of facilitating easier, faster and more concrete assimilation by students.