William Stanley Jevons
William Stanley Jevons (1835–1882) was an English economist and logician who is best known for formulating the Jevons Paradox, described in his 1865 work The Coal Question, which posits that increased efficiency in resource use can lead to greater overall consumption of that resource. He was a major figure in the marginal revolution of the late 19th century and contributed significantly to the development of marginal utility theory. He was educated at University College London and was a Fellow of the Royal Society.
“James Jevin was basically this guy in the 1800s. He wrote a book in 1865 called The Coal Question. And he basically says, I have a feeling that because of how amazing this new steam engine is, that Britain potentially is going to get rid of all of our cheap coal... He was exactly right.”
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