The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers

With over two million copies sold worldwide, The Worldly Philosophersis one of the most widely read texts on the history of economics ever written. It defines the common thread linking the world's greatest economic thinkers from Adam Smith to Malthus, from Marx to John Maynard Keynes, and explores the philosophies that motivated them. This not only enables us to see more deeply into our history, but, through understanding how a capitalist society works, also helps us to better understand our own times. In a bold new last chapter entitled 'The End of the Worldly Philosophers?', Heilbroner reminds us that the word 'end' refers both to the purpose and the limits of economics. He argues that today's increasingly 'scientific' economics may overlook fundamental social and political issues that are central to economics. Thus, unlike its predecessors, this new (seventh) edition provides not just an indispensable illumination of our past, but also a call to action for our future.