Behind The Veil Of Economics Essays In The Worldly Philosophy

"[These essays] are rich in argument, in clear and provocative presentation of complicated issues, and are often delightfully quotable. Behind the Veil of Economics makes instructive, disturbing, and lively reading." —Elizabeth Wolgast, New York Times Book Review What lies behind the veil of economics? Power and ideology, answers Robert Heilbroner—the power of our economic involvement in society to shape the ways we think about it; the visions and values that add unsuspected ideological color to our economic beliefs about it. Most important, Heilbroner shows why economics has become the reigning form of social inquiry and how we might penetrate its mystique.

These essays written by students of Robert Heilbroner, develop central themes in his work - the importance of historical perspective in economics, the connection with the great questions of philosophy, and the immediacy of politics. They begin by criticizing the rational maximizing foundations of conventional theory, finding no place there for history. The essays first explore methodology, then technology in relation to history, the politics inherent in economics, and finally, turn to the great Classics, interpreted in relation to modern questions.

Professor Heilbroner shows why economics has become the reigning form of social inquiry, and how we might penetrate its mystique. He explores aspects of the "regime-like" character of capitalism and its historic position today; the meaning of work and value; and the manner in which the social visions of the "worldly philosophers" affect their economic analyses.

These essays written by students of Robert Heilbroner, develop central themes in his work - the importance of historical perspective in economics, the connection with the great questions of philosophy, and the immediacy of politics. They begin by criticizing the rational maximizing foundations of conventional theory, finding no place there for history. The essays first explore methodology, then technology in relation to history, the politics inherent in economics, and finally, turn to the great Classics, interpreted in relation to modern questions.

Dramatic changes or revolutions in a field of science are often made by outsiders or 'trespassers, ' who are not limited by the established, 'expert' approaches. Each essay in this diverse collection shows the fruits of intellectual trespassing and poaching among fields such as economics, Kantian ethics, Platonic philosophy, category theory, double-entry accounting, arbitrage, algebraic logic, series-parallel duality, and financial arithmetic.

Selections from great writings on economics, annotated and introduced by a distinguished economist and teacher. Author of The Worldly Philosophers, a 3-million-copy seller, Robert Heilbroner offers here a compendium of readings from the "worldly philosophers" themselves. The selections range from the earliest economic thought to such towering volumes as Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, Thomas Malthus's Essay on the Principle of Population, David Ricardo's Principles of Political Economy, and John Maynard Keynes's The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money. Acting as "a docent, not merely an editor," he takes the reader through the core arguments with "brilliantly clear commentary" (New York Times Book Review).

What has gone wrong with economics? Economists now routinely devise highly sophisticated abstract models that score top marks for theoretical rigour but are clearly divorced from observable activities in the current economy. This creates an 'uneconomic economics', where models explain relationships in blackboard rather than real-life markets.

This book provides an intellectual portrait of Robert Heilbroner. It traces the development of his work and places it within the literature of economic thought. The book finds that Heilbroner is a writer of political economy in the classical sense. His work is more reminiscent of Smith or Marx than of contemporary economic theorists. Heilbroner's economics is built on a solid foundation of social psychology, evolutionary dynamics and human history. This holistic approach affords Heilbroner a wide latitude to define the economic process and the discipline that studies it.