Simon Nelson Patten (May 1, 1852 – July 24, 1922) was an American economist and the chair of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

[3][4] Patten attended the University of Halle (1876–1879), where he came under the influence of Johannes Conrad,[5] a member of the German Historical school, a group of economists who believed that scholars should use their expertise to help solve modern social problems.

He held this important post until 1917, when his vigorous antiwar views got him into trouble and he was forced into premature retirement.

Economic theories have been put forward as though they depended solely upon physical or objective conditions.

"[6] Patten believed that with the new technology the Earth's resources were adequate to provide an economy of abundance for the Western world; that is, there was enough wealth available so that everyone could achieve a proper diet, good basic housing and clothing, and an education that would meet the job requirements of industry.