Marshall's Metaphors on Method

This paper, in a roundabout way, deals with Alfred Marshall's views on method, examining the metaphors, similes, and analogies by which they were expressed; or, conversely, it investigates his use of metaphors as a means to convey methodological reflections. Marshall's biological analogy has aroused much controversy in the past; it is to be hoped that a more comprehensive investigation will allow us to place the metaphors/method relationship in a wider context.