Books
- The Wealth of Nations
- Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries
- Trading in the Global Currency Markets
- Import/Export: How to Get Started in International Trade
- Myths of Free Trade: Why American Trade Policy Has Failed
- Eat the Rich
- International Business: Environments and Operations, 10th Edition
- Start Your Own Import/Export Business (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Ups)
- A Beginner's Guide to the World Economy : Eighty-One Basic Economic Concepts That Will Change the Way You See the World
- OUTSOURCE : Competing in the Global Productivity Race
- COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF NATIONS
- New Ideas from Dead Economists: An Introduction to Modern Economic Thought
- Financial Reckoning Day: Surviving the Soft Depression of the 21st Century
- The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century
- Conquer the Crash: You Can Survive and Prosper in a Deflationary Depression, Expanded and Updated Edition
- Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update
- The Secrets of Economic Indicators: Hidden Clues to Future Economic Trends and Investment Opportunities
- The China Dream: The Quest for the Last Great Untapped Market on Earth
- Cowboy Capitalism: European Myths, American Reality
- Irrational Exuberance
- The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
- Cities Ranked and Rated: More than 400 Metropolitan Areas Evaluated in the U.S. and Canada, 1st Edition
- Against Leviathan: Government Power and a Free Society
- The Next Great Bubble Boom [ABRIDGED]
- Guide to Economic Indicators: Making Sense of Economics, Fifth Edition (The Economist Series)
Average customer rating:
- Seminal work from the father of economics
- Go with Bantam
- A must read if you are in economics
- Insights on the Fundamentals of Wealth
- Put on top of your reading list.
|
The Wealth of Nations (Bantam Classics)
Adam Smith
Manufacturer: Bantam Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
 Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| International
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Business & Professional
| Book Clubs
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
International
| Business & Investing
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- The Communist Manifesto (Penguin Classics)
- The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money (Great Minds Series)
- Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition
- The Prince (Bantam Classics)
- The Road to Serfdom Fiftieth Anniversary Edition
ASIN: 0553585975
Release Date: 2003-03-04 |
Book Description
The Wealth of Nations
by Adam Smith
It is symbolic that Adam Smith’s masterpiece of economic analysis,
The Wealth of Nations, was first published in 1776, the same year as the Declaration of Independence.
In his book, Smith fervently extolled the simple yet enlightened notion that individuals are fully capable of setting and regulating prices for their own goods and services. He argued passionately in favor of free trade, yet stood up for the little guy.
The Wealth of Nations provided the first--and still the most eloquent--integrated description of the workings of a market economy.
The result of Smith’s efforts is a witty, highly readable work of genius filled with prescient theories that form the basis of a thriving capitalist system. This unabridged edition offers the modern reader a fresh look at a timeless and seminal work that revolutionized the way governments and individuals view the creation and dispersion of wealth--and that continues to influence our economy right up to the present day.
Customer Reviews:
Seminal work from the father of economics.......2007-05-25
Nobody seriously involved in economics can do without this exhaustive work, originally published in five volumes as An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. This classic is a pragmatic and accessible milestone in the history of economics. Its author, Adam Smith, is woven into every economics textbook. However, Smith's theories, which today often are recounted mostly in fragments, frequently incorrectly, reveal their entire social and economic innovative power only in context. Smith burst onto the scene at a time when absolutist national states monopolized the world's precious metal reserves and tried to increase their own wealth through stringent export policies. These states were motivated by an entirely new concept about national wealth: that it stemmed from the work of the country's people, not from gold. Based on that idea, economic markets should balance themselves as if guided by an "invisible hand," impelled by each individual's self-interest. The state has to provide only an orderly framework and specific public goods and services. Even though Smith's image of idealized economic and social harmony may have developed a few cracks over the course of time, his ideas have inspired many well-known economists during the past 250 years, including David Ricardo, Vilfredo Pareto, Friedrich August von Hayek and Milton Friedman. We highly recommend this seminal work.
Go with Bantam.......2007-02-12
If you're wondering which Wealth of Nations to purchase, get the Bantam paperback. This is Smith's complete and unabridged final version of the Wealth of Nations. It provides footnotes on Smith's wording, the historical context, and the differences between Smith's 5th edition and previous editions. In addition, the margin of the pages contain useful notes which summarize Smith's writing. For the price, this is clearly the superior choice.
Now, if you're wondering whether you should undertake such an endeavor, let me just say that Adam Smith was a professor of rhetoric. He explains everything so precisely, yet so comprehensible. Smith's writing is by no means difficult; I actually found it a surprisingly easy read given its antique nature. Once you get through the first chapter, you get quite used to Smith's writing style. If you put adequate time and energy into it, it's not hard at all.
A must read if you are in economics.......2006-09-02
The works of Adam Smith are an essential part of universal culture, especially for economics. The introduction to the book places you at the time it was written, which makes it even more valuable.
Insights on the Fundamentals of Wealth.......2006-08-21
This book is a modeling exercise about the components of a nation's wealth, whereby: Wealth of Nations = Land + Labour + Stock (ie Capital accumulated). This model serves as the foundation of the arguments in the entire book; and an excellent guide to analyze our modern market economies. Smith touches on various topics, ranging from market economics, history of colony establishments, state of opulence (briefly describing China in the 18th century), and of human nature and behavior in general.
Much of Adam Smith's ideas have been distorted by subsequent scholars, some of whom contorted his ideas to suit their own purposes. For example, in coining the word 'the Invisible Hand', Smith recommended free market competition as the foundation for progressive opulance. However, his implicit assumption was that people seeking their own benefits also embraced compassion and sympathy in their moral values. This 'moral value' part is often missing in contemporary economic analysis. As such, to gain an understanding of his complete doctrine, you should read this economics book together with his other book "The Theory of Moral Sentiments", which explores definitions of moral values and virtues.
Another issue worth mentioning is that lots of people thought that Capitalism was derived from Adam Smith's doctrine, and the current market economies in the USA is a descendent of this ideology. However, if we used his definitions and analysis to compare the current USA market system, you will find that parts of the US system seemed to match closer to the Merchantile System that Smith lambasted as inefficient and short-sighted.
A lot has been said about Smith's keen observations and eloquent quotes, however, most failed to mention his uncanny sense of humor. For example, in discussing about labor compensation, Smith remarked that "The public admiration which attends upon such distinguished abilities, makes always a part of their rewards; a greater or smaller in proportion as it is higher or lower in degree. It makes a considerable part of that reward in the profession of physics; a still greater perhaps in that of law; in poetry and philosophy it makes almost the whole."; when taken into contexts that Smith is a Scholar in Philosophy, and hence should expect `public admiration' as his total compensation package, this sentence is almost hilarious.
This book is an insightful read, albeit one that requires much pondering. It took Adam Smith ten years to complete the first edition of Wealth of Nations, hence I would strongly recommend taking a slow pace in this exploration of his wisdom.
You might ask whether there is an easier way to read this book, perhaps through some summary others wrote.
My opinion is really not to do that, because the gist of this book is on the thinking process and good learning does not come easy. Spend the time to reflect on his reasonings and you will gain significantly from his wisdom. Not to forget that you should get a copy of his other book "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" to fully appreciate the Wealth of Nations.
Put on top of your reading list........2006-07-03
A classic... mandatory but pleasant reading if you are into Economics... not boring despite the size. Read with a pencil handy to highlight the too many good quotes. Get the Bantam Classics edition--cheap, small and unabridged (doesn't get much better than this). Mind boggling how good Adam Smith is.
Average customer rating:
- 18th Century Economics meets 21st Century satire & humor
- Worth reading but only the first half
- Little actual economics
- ORourkenomics
- On The Wealth of Nations (Books That Changed the World)
|
On The Wealth of Nations (Books That Changed the World)
P. J. O'Rourke
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Business
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Essays
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement
- Parliament of Whores: A Lone Humorist Attempts to Explain the Entire U.S. Government
- The Theory of Moral Sentiments
- Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years
- The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming (and Environmentalism)
ASIN: 0871139499 |
Book Description
As one of the first titles in Atlantic Monthly Press’ “Books That Changed the World” series, America’s most provocative satirist, P. J. O’Rourke, reads Adam Smith’s revolutionary The Wealth of Nations so you don’t have to. Recognized almost instantly on its publication in 1776 as the fundamental work of economics, The Wealth of Nations was also recognized as really long: the original edition totaled over nine hundred pages in two volumes—including the blockbuster sixty-seven-page “digression concerning the variations in the value of silver during the course of the last four centuries,” which, “to those uninterested in the historiography of currency supply, is like reading Modern Maturity in Urdu.” Although daunting, Smith’s tome is still essential to understanding such current hot-topics as outsourcing, trade imbalances, and Angelina Jolie. In this hilarious, approachable, and insightful examination of Smith and his groundbreaking work, P. J. puts his trademark wit to good use, and shows us why Smith is still relevant, why what seems obvious now was once revolutionary, and why the pursuit of self-interest is so important.
Customer Reviews:
18th Century Economics meets 21st Century satire & humor.......2007-06-26
Adam Smith, common known as the "Father of Economics" is largely credited with providing the first, comprehensive definition of laissez-faire economic theory. For those uninterested in reading his comprehensive, if sometimes exhaustive tome, O'Rourke lightens up the heavy weight of the imminent Scotsman Smith.
O'Rourke is absolutely on par with current day affairs and succinctly applies Smith's insights from over 200 years ago to the present day. Ideas, such as those described by Smith, are never aged and O'Rourke through a deft touch of humor and modern perspective effectively illustrates the importance of Smith today, just as much as Smith illustrated his break-through insights in 1776.
Worth reading but only the first half.......2007-06-05
The first 2/3rds of this book are insightful, erudite and irreverant helping to elucidate much of Smith's ideas beyond the "invisible hand". Adam Smith remains one of the most important thinkers in the last several hundred years. It is incredibly difficult to create any theory that actually stands the test of time or is even new so understanding Smith is time well spent. O'Rourke does an excellent job of making the 18th century language of Smith more intelligible to the average person.
Unfortunately, the last few chapters are unmemorable at best and tedious at worst. The humor becomes increasingly strained and irrelevant to the subject at hand, for example, comparing Smith's early education to his daughter learning to play "Kumbayah" on the recorder. The price of reading a satirist's take on Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations is that O'Rourke is not an economist and does not bring any great depth of understanding to the subject. He is far more concerned about the next clever thing that he plans to say and never really is able to deliver a proper ending to the book. It is as though he has become bored with the subject.
Economics is extremely complex entailing the analysis of thousand of pieces of often conflictory data. As a non-economist, O'Rourke asserts that Smith contradicts himself without any understanding that there are no black & white answers. Anyone who studies this subject in any depth and attempts to make sense of it, would likely be aware of the contradictions that Smith grappled with at a time when the study of economics was in its infancy.
I highly recommend the first 2/3rds of the book and suggest that readers stop reading when they find a declining return on their investment of time.
Little actual economics.......2007-05-25
Smith was a Logic and Philosophy professor in George Washington's day. This was the middle of three of his works: the first, on morals, this, and the last, never completed, on law. It attempts to explain in a qualitative way what causes prosperity, and concludes that it comes from division of labor, trade, and absence of government interference. About all that could be said in those early days.
It is more a commentary on society, with suggestions on how governments should be run, or how various classes of men should behave. So it is a perfect foil for the author, social critic extrodinaire. He mines it for Smith's interesting observations, some because they are so contrary to modern thinking, others because they are still true today. As always, it's as much about the very opinionated and highly vocabularied O'Rourke as it is about his subject, but I enjoyed it.
ORourkenomics.......2007-05-12
Worth reading. Read Heilbronen's The Worldly Philosopher's for a better short book on how economics really works.
On The Wealth of Nations (Books That Changed the World).......2007-05-09
I could never get through Adam Smith's classic with any sense of comprehension. So tedious and tangental with digressions, I had developed the opinion that his wisdom may have given impetus to the philosophy and outworking of Capititalism but it was lost on me. How wonderful that P.J. O'Rourke could distill the importance in language that I could understand. And the interpretation is funny as well. I think I have found a series (Books That Changed the World) that is worth investigating. I recommend this book for those, like myself, who have not the time or energy to wade through the archaic for the gems - and thank O'Rouke for doing so on behalf of readers who need some help in such important books.
Average customer rating:
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
- Provocative, appealing and controversial
- pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Chinese
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Irish
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Japanese
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Women
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Augustine, Saint
| ( A )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Doctors & Medicine
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Lawyers & Criminals
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Love, Sex & Marriage
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Early Civilization
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ancient
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Historiography
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Asian American
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Asian American
| Poetry
| United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Erotica
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Victorian
| Erotica
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Epic
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
German
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Russian
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| Poetry
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Chinese
| Classics
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Conspiracy Theories
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
War on Drugs
| Crime & Criminals
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
English (All)
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Arabic
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Armenian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Czech
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Greek
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Hungarian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Japanese
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Korean
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Norwegian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Persian & Farsi
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Polish
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Portuguese
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Romanian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Russian
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Swedish
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Turkish
| Foreign Language
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Science
| Dictionaries & Thesauruses
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Online Research
| Genealogy
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Native American
| Earth-Based Religions
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| History & Philosophy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
History of Science
| History & Philosophy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Magic & Wizards
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Sailor Moon
| Popular Characters
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Pilates
| Exercise & Fitness
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Fashion
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Art Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Biographies
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Children's Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Health Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Fiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Reference Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Romance Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Science Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
- Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
- Before the Pharaohs: Egypt's Mysterious Prehistory
- Forbidden History: Prehistoric Technologies, Extraterrestrial Intervention, and the Suppressed Origins of Civilization
- They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Provocative, appealing and controversial.......2006-08-02
Fomenko has succeeded to convincingly demonstrate the misconception about what "history" factually is... It is fiction and -like we can read and judge for ourselves- no science. It indeed is "make belief" only. I "discovered" Fomenko while studying the "old" history of Al Andaluz, Spain. Having found too many contradictions in available data, having seen too many forgeries as to pretend the importance of christianity for its decline, I ventured out to find Fomenko, who convinced me that we know little if anything for sure of the epoch before the XI-century. However, the integration of the Arabic-Islamic cultural history into the heavily distorted Western fails... There are some attempts to fit "the budding new religion" (Islam) into Fomenko's scheme, but they are too weak to be taken seriously and too often focussing on Turkey as the region where things started to influence the West, which is untrue at all.
Islam certainly was no "new religion" in the X-century. That the highly cultivated Al Andaluz ruler Mohammed-I could have been "mirrored" down in time into some myth about the "illiterate" founder of Islam itself is highly speculative. Nevertheless, Fomenko convinces me about the processes that were involved in forging a christian history. Intriguing and controversial as his books are, I recommend them as to rethink our current position in time and space and simply verify what was claimed. It is a "good" book, but not for bedtime reading... Mundus vult decipi, the world wants to be cheated. Fomenko's readers will understand why.
pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD.......2006-02-16
Traces of white wine were found in Tutankhamen's tomb however there were no record of white wine in Egypt until the 3rd century AD, 1600 years after the young pharaoh died according to the traditional chronology. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg18925395.400
It can be interpreted as a contribution towards New Chronology theory that pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD.
Average customer rating:
- More Economic History than Economic Thought
- Great Topic; Anecdotal Book
- Disappointment
- Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations
- Academic
|
Knowledge and the Wealth Of Nations: A Story of Economic Discovery
David Warsh
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Economic History
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Macroeconomics
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics
- Stumbling on Happiness
- The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth
- Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy
- Understanding the Process of Economic Change (Princeton Economic History of the Western World)
ASIN: 0393059960 |
Book Description
A stimulating and inviting tour of modern economics centered on the story of one of its most important breakthroughs.
In 1980, the twenty-four-year-old graduate student Paul Romer tackled one of the oldest puzzles in economics. Eight years later he solved it. This book tells the story of what has come to be called the new growth theory: the paradox identified by Adam Smith more than two hundred years earlier, its disappearance and occasional resurfacing in the nineteenth century, the development of new technical tools in the twentieth century, and finally the student who could see further than his teachers.
Fascinating in its own right, new growth theory helps to explain dominant first-mover firms like IBM or Microsoft, underscores the value of intellectual property, and provides essential advice to those concerned with the expansion of the economy. Like James Gleick's Chaos or Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe, this revealing book takes us to the frontlines of scientific research; not since Robert Heilbroner's classic work The Worldly Philosophers have we had as attractive a glimpse of the essential science of economics.
Customer Reviews:
More Economic History than Economic Thought.......2007-06-24
Warsh has authored a well written book with a compelling tale of the foundations of theory of economic growth. More than anything else, it is a story of Paul Romer and his groundbreaking ideas. Romer is a remarkably creative thinker on a search for an economic theory (aka model) to explain growth. The author starts us on Romer's odyssey first with a brief history back to Adam Smith. It is clear Romer stood on the shoulders of giants (Smith, Marshall, Arrow, et al) in formulating theories (models) for growth, recognizing the value of knowledge and technology.
The kernel of the story becomes a bit muddled at times as Warsh becomes more fascinated with the great economists than he is about great economic ideas. The book is not written with a clear exposition of the evolution of economic thinking. It is written toward explaining the history of events of how the evolution of the thinking occurred. As such, it can be a tough slog as we are introduced to one economist after another without sufficient explanation of each person's contribution of ideas and how it fits into the mosaic of 'the real economy' (my emphasis). Romer comes and goes throughout the chapters but he is the central subject.
Toward the end (chapter 25), the history of Microsoft is introduced as an example of the ultimate 'pin factory' (Adam Smith). At this point in the story, reading about MS feels artificial and disconnected. I would have left it out completely.
One interesting observation was leading economists make 'discoveries' through models, explaining through sophisticated mathematics what the average businessman already knows from observation and experience. I felt this throughout the book so was not surprised when the author recounted a story of Krugman testing a new learning from a model on a non-economist friend. The friend's response was the discovery was "obvious". This says something about the theoretical economist's need to connect with the real world as opposed to spending all their time with models. To be fair economists must work with models which are mathematically well behaved, similar to physicists and engineers working with linear equations which are tractable for solution. These models often require assumptions or simplification which leaves out important factors. (I do worry at the unreal assumptions in the models described since many of these same economists find their way to be Presidential advisors or Fed Governors.)
I am glad I read the book and learned about how the profession develops its thinking. I also wonder if the time was well spent.
Great Topic; Anecdotal Book.......2007-05-12
A good overview, particularly for non-technical readers. Too superficial, anecdotal, repetitive, and imprecise for readers who want to find out what the major economic models really are and how they compare with economic data. For such readers, Charles Jones's Introduction to Economic Growth is much better.
Disappointment.......2007-02-17
Most of the reviewers of this book apparently found it to be impressive. Sadly I did not.
Too little time is devoted to offering adequate clear explanations of the economic ideas and theories being addressed, too much time is devoted to irrelevant social asides. The non-economist reader seeking to understand the economics as opposed to learning a great amount of academic gossip and politics will probably be disappointed. I wanted to understand growth theory. I did not and do not care that the reason why Paul Romer left Chicago for the Bay Area was that his wife had a disagreement with her lab manager or that Paul Romer has developed software to teach economics. I found such digressions to be unnecessary and distracting.
To cite just two of the book's specific limitations:
(1) The book lacks referential footnotes and a bibliography. Readers not already familiar with the subject wishing to pursue a topic further will be at a loss.
(2) The book lacks a glossary. Throughout the book numerous technical terms are introduced and, at best, briefly described. It would have been nice to have all of these key terms explained in one place for easy reference.
Small efforts on the part of the author would have remedied both of these deficiencies.
Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations.......2007-01-20
This is an exceptional, non-technical explanation of Endogenous Growth Theory. In addition, it tells a great story and has all the fun gossip about economists that most economists like.
Academic.......2007-01-09
You would think that economics is called the dismal science because it is of dismal interest to people outside the field. Well, think again!
This is a book that elegantly illustrates the importance of a rigorous discipline to develop new insight of outmost importance to society.
The author masters to provide the overview of a wide field based on a story, i.e. the story of growth and how to account for it. Growth is important to most politicians and business managers. But how can we better understand the driving mechanisms behind growth? David Marsh provides the answer!
As a marketing professor I am amazed by how David Warsh keeps the reader to the story by providing a rich coverage of not only US researchers but key players around the world. At times Warsh provides insight that makes me believe that he himself is a player in the field.
As a researcher I realize how much we can learn from thinkers in economics and how sharp minds can set the agenda. Not through catchy phrases but solid thinking backed by stringent mathematical models and solid empirical evidence.
In short: this is a book for you if you enjoy refreshing your economics 101. This is a book for you if you appreciated strong research traditions. This is a book for you if you appreciate the importance of knowledge for economic growth. This is a book for you if you enjoy great writing skills employed to an important field.
Average customer rating:
- An excellent survey
- Knowledge is Power
- A MUST READ FOR ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY.
- Powerful and vital message of caring and hope
- Expand the Dismal Science to Measure and See Silver Linings of Opportunity
|
The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics (Bk Currents)
Riane Tennenhaus Eisler
Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Economic Policy & Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Natural Resources
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Politics
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that Will Change Your Life
- Educating for a Culture of Peace
- The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future
- Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body--New Paths to Power and Love
- Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
ASIN: 1576753883 |
Book Description
Bestselling author Riane Eisler (The Chalice and the Blade, which has sold more than 500,000 copies sold) shows that at the root of all of society's big problems is the fact that we don?t value what matters. She then presents a radical reformulation of economics priorities focused on activities of caring and caregiving at the individual, organizational, societal, and environmental levels.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent survey.......2007-06-17
Social scientist Riane Eisler provides a different approach to economics in THE REAL WEALTH OF NATIONS: CREATING A CARING ECONOMICS. Where Alan Smith's classic provided the first and lasting explanation of how modern economics works as a market-driven force, REAL WEALTH OF NATIONS goes a step further for college-level and business holdings, building upon Smith's concepts to show the real wealth of nations lies in the contributions of people and environment. The idea is that caring for people and the environment builds the real wealth - and he proposes a new 'caring economics' which moves from the microcosm of the household to communities and nature to promote new values beyond stereotypes. An excellent survey any college-level collection strong in social science will want.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Knowledge is Power.......2007-06-09
Riane Eisler once again inspires and creates personal revolutions with her revelations. This book flows naturally from her previous work, something her readers await and rejoice. Intense insights and a trampolin for more adventurous change in the way we see the world. Highly recommended if one cares to think really differently. It gives you more than hope, it brings you a certainty that we can create a marvelous world together if we change our mindset. All based on sound science and well researched history or pre-history. No self help, only pure common sense. All the good words can not describe how intense this experience is. Just read the book and judge for yourself.
A MUST READ FOR ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY........2007-05-31
I was first introduced to Riane Eisler's work years ago through her profoundly enlightening book, THE CHALICE AND THE BLADE. I have carried her message about the value of partnership and cooperation over dominance ever since. Eisler's latest book, THE REAL WEALTH OF NATIONS, reflects on the dominant form of economics around which our world currently functions. It is a paradigm that has been in place for at least 10,000 years. The system, as currently constituted, serves the interests of the few at the great expense of the many. It has also become increasingly destructive to the environment and to the lives of the vast majority of world's people. Eisler offers an alternative vision for market economics that is inclusive rather exclusive, nurturing rather than destructive, open and transparent rather than accessible only to the privileged few sitting at the apex of human society. Solving the world's burgeoning problems requires more than treating symptoms. It requires a fundamental reshaping of the prevailing, dominance oriented economics that encourages human suffering, and environmental destruction on a massive scale. Riane Eisler's THE REAL WEALTH OF NATIONS is powerful and life affirming. The economics based on partnership and the common good that she envisions offers the best chance for creating prosperity for all the world's people while at the same time restoring and protecting our Earth's biological heritage. Written in a style that is highly accessible and also thoroughly engaging, this latest book from Riane Eisler is a gift of awareness and understanding that should be at the top of every person's reading list.
Powerful and vital message of caring and hope.......2007-05-13
This book is an essential, must-read work for all who are concerned with the creation and implementation of a sustainable, healthy future, a future with a caring economy. 'The Real Wealth of Nations' is a powerful manifesto and call for a caring revolution that we must choose to answer if we wish to survive and flourish on our planet in the face of all the dangers that are present in the world today. Read this book and join in the design of a healthier, more economically vibrant and caring world.
Expand the Dismal Science to Measure and See Silver Linings of Opportunity.......2007-05-12
The Real Wealth of Nations is the most fundamental critique of macro and micro economics that I have ever seen. Everyone should take these points seriously.
Her bedrock critique is that economics is harmfully selective in what it chooses to measure and consider. That's like stopping mathematics with the numbers 1 though 5 and ignoring the other numbers.
Macro economics does this by paying scant, if any, attention to production and services that don't generate an exchange of money (such as raising your own children) but have an economic impact (by producing a more or less productive member of society who generates fewer or more benefits for others) or aren't in the legal economy (drug dealing) which certainly affect the "legal" economy.
Micro economics does this by encouraging decision makers to look too narrowly at close-in effects (such as company near-term profits) rather than the ripple and secondary effects (such as the benefit or harm that customers, partners, employees, the environment, and society experience which also have measurable costs and benefits). Most of those who apply micro economics would have no clue for how to consider those other dimensions.
What you don't measure will be treated like it doesn't matter. That's the rub. We are all bound up in a tradition stall that says that much of what creates a good society doesn't require such focus. But if we did focus, we would do better. I agree.
So how do we get past this? Reading The Real Wealth of Nations is a good start. You can't see all of your social conditioning until someone shows you what's missing from the paradigm. Ms. Eisler cites a lot of studies by others to get you thinking. That's good. She describes the book as a call for discussion, and I'm sure the book will succeed in that dimension. I was pleased to see that she rarely misstepped in choosing, citing, and describing the meaning of studies that I know about.
Ultimately, she sees a change in psychology as being the key to the paradigm shift: Start talking about and thinking about caring for and about others, and you'll stop being too narrowly focused. That point is a much broader one than simply critiquing economics.
In fact, I feel like what's needed is a science of improvement that's much broader than mere economics. Enough people enjoy making improvements for their own joy of succeeding that they will drive forward a lot of the changes that Ms. Eisler is concerned about creating. Others enjoy seeing benefits being created for others, and they will make progress for that reason. Still others will simply mimic what others have done to improve. If everyone learned how to make exponential improvements, most of the problems Ms. Eisler describes would soon be gone. In fact, if each person who knows how to make exponential improvements simply showed one other person how to do this each month, the whole world would know what to do within three years. I think that's a more practical solution that what Ms. Eisler proposes. If a caring attitude is added to that aptitude, great things will surely follow. That's been my experience in seeing people around the world create vast improvements in humanitarian performance through imagining, developing, and applying 2,000 percent solutions.
Bravo, Ms. Eisler!
Average customer rating:
- Free trade and pro biz
- Must have.
- Readable introduction to economic theory
- Brutal, Yet Interesting Read
- Brutal, Yet Interesting Read
|
The Wealth of Nations (Modern Library Classics)
Adam Smith , and Robert Reich
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Business & Professional
| Book Clubs
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money (Great Minds Series)
- The Theory of Moral Sentiments
- Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition
- The Road to Serfdom Fiftieth Anniversary Edition
- The Communist Manifesto (Penguin Classics)
ASIN: 0679783369
Release Date: 2000-11-14 |
Book Description
Adam Smith's masterpiece, first published in 1776, is the foundation of modern economic thought and remains the single most important account of the rise of, and the principles behind, modern capitalism. Written in clear and incisive prose, The Wealth of Nations articulates the concepts indispensable to an understanding of contemporary society; and Robert Reich's new Introduction for this edition both clarifies Smith's analyses and illuminates his overall relevance to the world in which we live. As Reich writes, "Smith's mind ranged over issues as fresh and topical today as they were in the late eighteenth century--jobs, wages, politics, government, trade, education, business, and ethics."
Download Description
The first truly scientific argument for the principles of political economy.
Customer Reviews:
Free trade and pro biz.......2007-01-25
Great study material - very difficult read, but a must read that should be taught in high school.
Buy this if you support free trade, less government, and the American dream. Beware, this books represents everything a liberal opposes, ideals which are deeply hated by those who support liberal gods like Barak Hussein Obama and Miss H. Rodham.
Must have........2007-01-03
They shouldn't let you out of school unless you have this one in your head. Nice to have a copy around.
Readable introduction to economic theory.......2006-06-15
For anyone coming to Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations the first surprise is how readable it is. Famous classic of economic theory though it may be, this is no dry academic tome to be read only by people with a scholarly interest in economic history. There are no detailed tables of statistics of the sort one might expect to find in a modern book on the subject, and no mathematical analysis, indeed not very much quantitative information at all. Instead there is a long series of examples to explain such ideas as why it is more efficient to divide work among several specialists rather than have a complete task fulfilled by one person, or why slave labour is ultimately more expensive than paying free workers, even workers in cities like Boston or New York, where wages were far higher in Smith's time than those in his native Scotland.
To illustrate the principle of the division of labour Smith discusses the manufacture of nails. Even a blacksmith -- skilled in working with a hammer but with no special training in nail making -- could not make more than a few hundred nails in a day, and those of poor quality. A specialist nail maker could make more than two thousand, but much greater improvements, both in quality and quantity, come from recognizing that even a task as apparently simple as manufacturing a nail can be broken up into smaller tasks: maintaining the fire at the right temperature, hammering the nail into the right shape, using a different tool to form the head, and so on.
A popular edition of Wealth of Nations is inevitably abridged, as one can hardly expect to buy a complete scholarly edition for a price not much more than that of a novel. Complete editions are available as well, but they are much more expensive. With sensible editing, however, an abridged version can include as much of Smith's writing as the ordinary reader is likely to want, together with notes to explain points that will be obscure to the modern reader. In the Oxford World's Classics edition Kathryn Sutherland has made an excellent job of this, with notes that fill around a fifth of the length of the book.
Brutal, Yet Interesting Read.......2006-02-25
This was absolutely a brutal read; however, it was more or less a paradox described as painfully interesting. The mind of Adam Smith is incredible, and I encourage an interested reader to duke it out as you'll most certainly come out of the book more informed. I would recommend Wealth of Nations to anyone who has a mild interest in Economics. Brian Oley
Brutal, Yet Interesting Read.......2006-02-25
I am going to refer to the original text version written by Adam Smith: This was absolutely a brutal read; however, it was more or less a paradox described as painfully interesting. The mind of Adam Smith is incredible, and I encourage an interested reader to duke it out as you'll most certainly come out of the book more informed. I would recommend Wealth of Nations to anyone who has a mild interest in Economics. Brian Oley
Average customer rating:
- Compares favorably with Heilbronner's classic
- Still looking for an unbiased history of economists
- Interaction of Capitalism and morality
- ADAM'S PLACE IN HISTORY IS SAFE
- Adam's What?
|
Adam's Fallacy: A Guide to Economic Theology
Duncan K. Foley
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- The Authentic Adam Smith: His Life and Ideas (Enterprise)
- Economics for Humans
- Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations: A Story of Economic Discovery
- The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times And Ideas Of The Great Economic Thinkers
- A Brief History of Neoliberalism
ASIN: 0674023099 |
Book Description
This book could be called "The Intelligent Person's Guide to Economics." Like Robert Heilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers, it attempts to explain the core ideas of the great economists, beginning with Adam Smith and ending with Joseph Schumpeter. In between are chapters on Thomas Malthus, David Ricardo, Karl Marx, the marginalists, John Maynard Keynes, Friedrich Hayek, and Thorstein Veblen. The title expresses Duncan Foley's belief that economics at its most abstract and interesting level is a speculative philosophical discourse, not a deductive or inductive science. Adam's fallacy is the attempt to separate the economic sphere of life, in which the pursuit of self-interest is led by the invisible hand of the market to a socially beneficial outcome, from the rest of social life, in which the pursuit of self-interest is morally problematic and has to be weighed against other ends.
Smith and his successors argued that the market and the division of labor that is fostered by it result in tremendous gains in productivity, which lead to a higher standard of living. Yet the market does not address the problem of distribution--that is, how is the gain in wealth to be divided among the classes and members of society? Nor does it address such problems as the long-run well-being of the planet.
Adam's Fallacy is beautifully written and contains interesting observations and insights on almost every page. It will engage the reader's thoughts and feelings on the deepest level.
Customer Reviews:
Compares favorably with Heilbronner's classic.......2007-02-05
I have recently read both Adam's Fallacy and R. Heilbronner's The Worldly Philosophers (as well as other introductions to economic thought). Adam's Fallacy compares favorably with Heilbronner in that it is a little less devoted to biographies of economists and a little more devoted to the content of their theories. Accordingly, it demands a little more effort from the reader. I didn't find it a quick or an easy read. Despite its title, it is a balanced approach to economics, giving Smith credit where due while attempting to provide "a critical and skeptical understanding of political economy." My advice is to read both Heilbronner's and Foley's books -- and not to stop there. The more you read on the topic of economics, the more nuanced your understanding will become.
Still looking for an unbiased history of economists.......2007-01-29
After reading the table of contents, I purchased this book, expecting it to be a dispassionate history of famous economists. By the middle of the text however, I came to realize that the author was embedding within his extensive knowledge of economic history his unabashed distaste of free market capitalism.
The premise of the book, (and of the title), is that the great fallacy of Adam Smith (and most other economists) is that they offer nothing to deal with the supposed immoral gap between the rich and poor. While R. Stone (above) addresses this point by pointing to the fact that Smith does in fact discuss this issue at length in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, I prefer to address it from a different direction. Foley's argument, focusing on the wide gap existing in capitalist societies between the rich and poor completely overlooks the absolute gains made by all under free market societies, versus their socialist counterparts. Paraphrasing the great Thomas Sowell, economics is not a system of morals, but rather a means by which scarce resource which have alternate uses are rationed most efficiently.
Chapter three most clearly shows the author's bias, in his glowing description of socialism, which in the end only euphemistically discusses the political difficulties in administering such a society. Page 204 is perhaps the best example of this bias:
"Furthermore, the Soviet Union did indeed manage to organize an impressive spurt of economic development, extension of the division of labor, and growth of productive capacity through its central planning mechanisms for what turned out to be a period of sixty years".
Nowhere in the text did Foley describe the now infamous rotting food in villages neighboring areas of starvation in the USSR. He does not mention the dominant theory among respected economists that the surplus value created by a capitalist society, and unevenly distributed to a certain class is what creates the incentives for goods (like food) to be distributed to the populace. Above all else, he does not ever mention the abject human rights violations ubiquitous in socialist regimes such as China under Mao, Cuba, USSR, etc. Granted, these abuses of power are not part of the system of socialism, but it is interesting nonetheless that they so often occur in societies which embrace their tenants.
Chapter five's description of Keynes was most interesting, in my opinion, for the strong weight Foley gave to his assertion that Say's Law is wrong, thereby destroying the theories of free trade, and opening the door to protectionist tariffs. What was notably missing from this discussion, however, were stats on the falling unemployment rates for *both* the US and Mexico in the years after Clinton signed NAFTA, or the continuously dropping unemployment rates, and job creation in recent years, during extensive outsourcing.
Nor does Foley treat the Great Depression with any objectivity. After describing the horrible conditions the US and world were facing in the thirties, and shortly thereafter, he states "To contemporary observers, laissez-faire policy seemed to be inadequate to cope with the problems of advanced industrial capitalism". What Foley fails to mention here is that FDR had a horribly anti-free market policy during the depression, which many economists now believe exacerbated matters, ie, setting price floors, which helped small farms at the expense of consumers who could no longer afford to buy food.
To his credit, however, Foley does end his book with a good joke: "On the whole, historically the best results seem to come from modest, and limited efforts to build institutions such as central banks, social security ...". It seems as though the best compliment Foley can come up with for capitalist societies is Social Security, a system which, under current operation, is scheduled to be completely bankrupt in thirty or forty years.
Interaction of Capitalism and morality.......2007-01-14
Foley has taught Economic History for many, many years and has a very nice summary of the thinkers in economics since Malthus. It is very readible and free of ideology - unusual for this topic.
He reviews the efforts economists have made since Smith to avoid the entanglement of the mechanisms of capitalism from the social and political results and judges they have all failed.
Good reading, and answered questions I've been pondering for a long time.
ADAM'S PLACE IN HISTORY IS SAFE.......2007-01-02
(review of ADAM'S FALLACY - A GUIDE TO ECONOMIC THEOLOGY by Duncan K. Foley, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, 2006 pp. xvi-265)
review by WALLACE F. SMITH, WALNUT CREEK, CA
Adam Smith (1723-90), a Scotsman, espoused liberty. He saw American colonists repudiate their king. He saw French commoners execute king and nobles in the name of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity."
The book he published in 1776, THE WEALTH OF NATIONS, liberated human economic life around the globe. Trade became free.
Before that privileged classes dictated what was to be produced, precisely how, who was to benefit and at what prices. Workers were bound to their workplace, like galley slaves, and all their activities rigidly controlled. Progress was thwarted.
People raised arms against tyrants. Adam Smith gave revolution a gospel. The world changed forever.
Economic actvity can and will manage itself. Producers make what consumers are willing to buy; prices must meet the needs of factors of production (land, labor and capital). Collective enterprise is driven by profit and expands cumulatively.
Smith had faith in this sytem. Followers argued specifics and discovered flaws. David Ricardo demonstrated the efficiency of importing, tax free what a nation's own resources limit. Swiss mathematician Euler proved that paying every factor of production - land, labor and capital - their respective "marginal" worth - incremental effects on output - equitably distributes all income.
But land and capital are "property" meaning legal rights. A moral issue arises - what is "property"? For a thousand years polemicists asserted the right of "society" to enjoy what property earns. This is called "socialism." Propertied classes denounce socialism and use force against it.
Adam Smith had very brave insight but not logical discipline (math). Pseudo scholars such as Duncan Foley preach sermons about choice - left-wing socialism versus right-wing fascism. The tragedy of Russia shows that with the best of intentions modern economic life is too complex for command economics. Author Foley has published very muddle-headed rambling on the subject. To wit:"... there is no way to determine the contribution to production of any one input ..." p. 164. Duncan is unaware that Euler did just that; Samuelson's immensely popular textbook lays out the mysteries of production functions - Euler's theorem. The secret lies in partial derivatives.
Calculus is a prerequisite for any meaninful economics course.
Adam's What?.......2006-10-16
What I find amazing about this book is that the author has an endowed chair of economics at a premier university and his publisher is Belknap Press of Harvard University. I say this because the author, Duncan K. Foley, is dedicated and willful in his ignorance. He organizes this survey of economic thought around what he calls "Adam's Fallacy," which he defines as Adam Smith's belief that "it is possible to separate an economic sphere of life, in which the pursuit of self-interest is guided by objective laws to a socially beneficent outcome, from the rest of social life, in which the pursuit of self-interest is morally problematic and has to be weighed against other ends" (xiii). Several pages later he says, "The moral fallacy of Smith's position is that it urges us to accept direct and concrete evil in order that indirect and abstract good may come of it. The logical fallacy is that neither Smith nor any of his successors has been able to demonstrate rigorously and robustly how private selfishness turns into public altruism" (p.3). The author's dedicated and willful ignorance is displayed by the fact that in his account of Smith's thinking there is exactly one reference (p.2) to Smith's great treatise in moral philosophy, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, a book Foley says was published in 1759--17 years before the publication of The Wealth of Nations. It is true that the first edition of the Theory of Moral Sentiments was published in 1759 but the book went through six editions the last of which was a massive revision that occupied the last several years of Smith's life and was published in the year of Smith's death, 1790. The sixth and final edition of the Theory of Moral Sentiments conveys Smith's most mature thought on commerce and ethics and, yet, Foley says nothing about the Theory of Moral Sentiments beyond the fact that the first edition was published in 1759. He fails to discuss the only work in which Smith treats the relationship of commerce and morality, and makes radical claims concerning Smith's ethical deficiencies by presenting a cartoon version of Smith's view of human nature and the social order by extrapolating from Smith's comments in the Wealth of Nations on how we could and should behave in markets to what Smith supposedly believed concerning our wider social web. Now, it could be that Smith's argument in TMS is wrong but it is completely misleading to suggest that Smith's treatment of markets conveys the whole of his view of human nature and the social order or that it conveys his moral theory. His view of human nature and the social order is contained in the Theory of Moral Sentiments, as are his views of the relationship between commerce and moral life. There is nothing abstract in Smith's argument contained in the Theory of Moral Sentiments. It is an argument that is perfectly concrete and open to verification and refutation on empirical grounds and I believe that the evidence weighs massively in its favor.
Smith would be horrified by the suggestion that we "accept direct and concrete evil in order that indirect and abstract good may come of it" and would have stared dumbfounded at anyone who could suggest that he, Smith, ever advocated such a morally absurd position. Smith advocates the commercial order because it promotes "universal opulence" and Smith argued that universal opulence makes it such that the lower classes can form the cardinal virtues grounded in the most vigorous passions of human nature. These virtues are benevolence, justice, prudence and self-command. According to Smith, benevolence--selfless devotion to family and friends--is only possible when individuals have resources sufficient to be truly generous. No one living at subsistence is likely to be benevolent. An exact sense of justice, Smith argued, is only possible with a wide distribution of property and a wide distribution of property is only possible once feudalism has been destroyed and the typical day laborer can buy a wool coat, furnish his kitchen with fine utensils, and he can own the roof over his head. Similarly, prudence--the capacity to make good decisions regarding one's security and fortune--requires that one has enough fortune about which to make decisions, and, according to Smith, when and only when individuals go beyond meeting their basic needs can they have hope to develop "superior prudence," the sort of prudence Plato and Aristotle admired. And finally, in a commercial order, the nature of self-command shifts from the forms of restraint needed to gain advantage and goods through war--i.e. courage and bravery--to the sort of restraint for which the middle/aspiring class is justly famous--temperance, honesty, frugality and a bit of daring.
Nowhere in Smith's work will one find the suggestion that evil must be suffered for the sake of some abstract good. Evil is evil for Smith, despite the goofiness attributed to Smith by his glib critics. Rational self-interest within a system of justice, for Smith, is not evil and although it is not the highest expression of human good, it is the most we can reasonably expect of people when dealing with anonymous strangers in the marketplace. To be sure, rational self-interest within a system of justice is the main pillar of the great society for Smith, but benevolence--selfless devotion to others--for Smith is a genuine virtue and arguably the highest expression of our humanity. It is expressed best, however, to those who are our intimates. Our genuine duties to others are real and close to home--we could and should be selfless to our families, friends and neighbors. Universal benevolence is an utterly impotent sentiment indulged by the self-loving and self-promoting because it leads to no concrete duties or obligations toward living, breathing people, according to Smith. All that is required by those animated by universal benevolence is to display fine and lofty sentiments. Thus, after Smith coined the term, Burke said that Rousseau displayed universal benevolence in abundance, while depositing his children in a foundling home. That is genuinely evil, for both Burke and Smith.
Again, what Smith says about markets and the greater social order may well be false (although I believe the evidence strongly suggests that it is true) but the main premise of Foley's book is based on a fundamental and willful ignorance of what Adam Smith actually said about human nature and the social order.
Brad Lowell Stone
Average customer rating:
- A good antidote to PC view popular now
- Trampled to Death with Footnotes!
- Interesting economic history
- Dense yet reductionist
- Guns & Germs Meets Economics
|
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor
David S. Landes
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Policy & Current Events
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Development & Growth
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Economic Conditions
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Economic Policy & Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Economic History
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
International
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Economic Conditions
| International
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Western
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
- The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists' Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics
- The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else
- Development as Freedom
- The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good
ASIN: 0393318885 |
Amazon.com
Professor David S. Landes takes a historic approach to the analysis of the distribution of wealth in this landmark study of world economics. Landes argues that the key to today's disparity between the rich and poor nations of the world stems directly from the industrial revolution, in which some countries made the leap to industrialization and became fabulously rich, while other countries failed to adapt and remained poor. Why some countries were able to industrialize and others weren't has been the subject of much heated debate over the decades; climate, natural resources, and geography have all been put forward as explanations--and are all brushed aside by Landes in favor of his own controversial theory: that the ability to effect an industrial revolution is dependent on certain cultural traits, without which industrialization is impossible to sustain. Landes contrasts the characteristics of successfully industrialized nations--work, thrift, honesty, patience, and tenacity--with those of nonindustrial countries, arguing that until these values are internalized by all nations, the gulf between the rich and poor will continue to grow.
Book Description
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is David S. Landes's acclaimed, best-selling exploration of one of the most contentious and hotly debated questions of our time: Why do some nations achieve economic success while others remain mired in poverty? The answer, as Landes definitively illustrates, is a complex interplay of cultural mores and historical circumstance. Rich with anecdotal evidence, piercing analysis, and a truly astonishing range of erudition, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations is a "picture of enormous sweep and brilliant insight" (Kenneth Arrow) as well as one of the most audaciously ambitious works of history in decades.
Customer Reviews:
A good antidote to PC view popular now.......2007-04-02
I found this book very interesting but a little directionless. His basic premise that culture not geography (or evil Europeans) is a large factor in where a country stands today. Notice I said large factor not the only factor which his detractors claim he says. As to my complaint on the writing, I enjoyed all the information but I feel it could have been funnelled toward his basic point better it was a little scattershot. Most of the 10 or so detractors I read either used falsehoods or distortions for their complaints. The point about the chopsticks was a tiny point but true! Why do parents teach babies dexterity exercises with those toys. And to the guy who claimed that Landes said all Asians are frugal you must have read a different. He did say that throughout Asia Chinese are the middle class managers. Anyone who goes to that part of the world knows this to be true. One final point He did show the flaws in European (especially the Iberean Peninsula) thinking but horror of horrors when you are evaluating numerous cultures for 1 issue- economic- 1 is going to come out on top and say it loud and say it proud WESTERN CIV. provides the best overall life for human beings
Trampled to Death with Footnotes!.......2007-02-12
I found Landes' opinion to be just that--his opinion. An interesting opinion, although it seemed to be backed up more by anecdotal evidence than hard data. But then there's not a lot of hard data on the subject he's dealing with: namely, why did Western European nations (and their progeny, the USA and Canada) come to rule the world while other cultures that began with great promise ended up backwaters?
Landes' answer is a comforting one to lots of First World people: our culture has just always been geared more toward success, we have the traits of successful people, so we succeeded. Is it true? Well, I'm not real big on eugenics, but if you take a dispassionate look around the globe (perhaps with Jared Diamond as your tour guide), it does seem to look that way. That's Landes' view and he's pretty persuasive about it; and even if you disagree, the examples he cites are interesting in themselves.
But what is with the avalanche of footnotes? Every few sentences, just as you get in sync with the argument Landes is putting forth...there's another asterisk or dagger jolting your eye down the page to some digression that makes you forget what you were reading in the first place. It's sort of manic and disorienting, to the point where I just finally stopped even looking at the footnotes. It would have been much better to have made them endnotes; then they wouldn't be so distracting, and could be read all at once by those so inclined. Publisher, for the love of God move the notes when you put out the next edition!
Interesting economic history.......2006-12-14
This is a great look at world economic history and thinking about why the world developed the way it did. It focuses on two distinct ideas
1. Why did the west (Europe and the United States develop before the east)
2. Why did the north develop before the south
The first question is answered very well and many factors including free trade, cultural decisions, and superior technology. The north and south question is much harder to answer and needs more economic analysis which is lakcing here.
It took time for this book to grow on me but once it did I was very excited to read it and loved it by the end. I highly recommend it for those who want to get a sense of world history.
Dense yet reductionist.......2006-11-05
Here is an interesting book about the history of "economic development". If you have never read a book about European Exceptionalism and Eurocentricity, here is a book for you. The book is a long history of European "success" and "the rest" "failure". It is about how something intrinsic about European culture permitted Europe to advance further than the rest. "Culture makes all the difference," Landes says. And the culture that makes all the difference is the Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture. Basically, the book is about a revival or Max Weber's Protestant ethic. Yet, this protestant ethic is also applied to places such as Japan whose "development" experience has nothing to do do with Protestantism. What I like is that when he gets to Africa, the culture centered argument is dropped. For him, the cause African underdevelopment include the distortions of colonialism as well as (in the beginning of the book, the curse of the environment. Of course he talks a little bit about the African lack of good governance, which can imply some kind of political culture that protestantism can create.
Although I refute Landes' argument about the causes of development and underdevelopment, I found the writer to be an interesting storyteller. It seems like he know how to talk. It is that kind of book that can put you to sleep feeling like you've read something new about something that you already knew. If you don't know anything else, and especially if you're of European origin, it can make you think that there is something special about you that the rest of humanity does not and can't even have.
The book should be read, but with caution. An interesting companion to this book should be Andre Gunder Frank's Reorient or at least James M Blaut's article "Environmentalism and Eurocentrism". With these two works, the book can be an interesting and an easy read. I recommend this book if it is read with the recommended companions.
Guns & Germs Meets Economics .......2006-10-16
If you have had the opportunity to read any of Jared Diamond's work, then I believe you will like and enjoy the similarities and explanations provided but on and from an economic point of view. The Wealth & Poverty of Nations is a straight talking expose as to many of the reasons to the economic rise of some Nations (and subsequent expansion) and why other Nations never did (or much later) though they had either resources or the political system to do so, but they just didn't overcome other obstacles.
Though this author does draw some critical thought from many reviewers (as is mostly the case without PC or academic speak), these critical affronts only touch on minor points of the whole and much less on the bigger theme and picture. One can debate what these themes may or may not be, but one can not deny that technology, religion, agricultural base, and property rights played major parts.
Enjoy the read if for nothing else than for the history of the rise of Europe, interactions with other regions, and its subsequent economic influences on the shaping of the rest of the globe.
Average customer rating:
- Dated in some particulars but not as a whole
- Age Does Not Wither the Provocative Appeal
- Wealth Creation
- An exciting, observant, and enduring work
- One of the Best
|
Cities and the Wealth of Nations
Jane Jacobs
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Economic History
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Urban & Regional
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Urban
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Money
| Issues
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Children's Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- The Economy of Cities
- The Death and Life of Great American Cities
- The Nature of Economies
- Dark Age Ahead
- Systems of Survival: A Dialogue on the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics
ASIN: 0394729110
Release Date: 1985-03-12 |
Book Description
"Learned, iconoclastic and exciting...Jacobs' diagnosis of the decay of cities in an increasingly integrated world economy is on the mark."—New York Times Book Review
"Jacobs' book is inspired, idiosyncratic and personal...It is written with verve and humor; for a work of embattled theory, it is wonderfully concrete, and its leaps are breathtaking."—Los Angeles Times
"Not only comprehensible but entertaining...Like Mrs. Jacobs' other books, it offers a concrete approach to an abstract and elusive subject. That, all by itself, makes for an intoxicating experience."—New York Times
Customer Reviews:
Dated in some particulars but not as a whole.......2004-10-20
It is true that the opening chapter of this book sounds dated, but the book as a whole still stands up well.
The first chapter provides the motivational background for the rest of the book by discussing the problem of stagflation, and how existing schools of economic thought failed to account for it (prices should not go up when the economy is in a slump). This does have a dated ring to it; who has been worried about stagflation in the past 20+ years? But the discussion of stagflation merely serves as motivation for what follows, and contemporary readers will be able to think up similar economic mysteries that we live with today, e.g. why did years of near-zero interest rates fail to stimulates Japan's economy as theory said they should, and similarly why is the US still struggling to recover from a recession when it interest rates have been at historic lows for several years?
The rest of the book is devoted Jacobs's thesis that the economic unit that matters is not the nation, nor the individual nor the corporation, but the city (or "city regions" as she calls them). She describes (using examples which still hold up today) the economic effects that cities have on each other and on less developed areas.
As in Jacobs's other books, the writing style is clear, direct and easy to understand.
I would like to hear Jacobs's perspective on European currency union: if she holds to the analysis of the effect of national currencies on cities given in this book then she should be predicting (in the long term) serious economic malaise in Europe, especially in those parts of the union which are currently less developed.
Age Does Not Wither the Provocative Appeal.......2003-04-03
Some of your other reviewers have said that they believe this book is outdated.
That is, I can't help but think, the reaction of internet babies, who are spoiled by the 24 hour round-the-clock updating of bloggers.
This is a printed book that gives evidence of having been written at a certain moment in history, and in a certain portion of the planet. So what? That is true of all great books, and the question for us is whether we can (a) appreciate that context while (b) taking from them something lasting.
The answer, for this book, is decidedly afirmative.
Wealth Creation.......2001-02-21
"Any settlement that becomes import-replacing becomes a city." Cities and the Wealth of Nations, Jane Jacobs
Written by an economist, this is a very unusual book. Ms. Jacobs is not hampered by orthodox preconceived notions, misleading postulated theoretical myths like utility optimization, rationality, or efficient markets. These standard phrases of neo-classical economic theory cannot be found in her book. Instead, and although her discussion is entirely nonmathematical, she uses a crude qualtitative idea of excess demand dynamics, of growth vs. decline. Her expectation is never of equilibrium. The notion of equilibrium never appears in this book. Jacobs instead describes qualitatively the reality of nonequilibrium in the economic life of cities, regions, and nations. She concentrates on the surprises of economic reality.
Jacobs argues fairly convincingly that significant, distributed wealth is created by cities that are inventive enough to replace imports by their own local production, that this is the only reliable source of wealth for cities in the long run, and that these cities need other like-minded cities to trade with in order to survive and prosper. Her expectation is of growth or decline, not of equilibrium. If she is right then the Euro and the European Union are a bad mistake, going entirely in the wrong direction. As examples in support of her argument she points to independent cites like Singapore and Hong Kong with their own local currencies. Other interesting case histories are TVA, small villages in France and Japan, other cases in Italy, Columbia, Ethiopia, US, Iran, ... .
The book begins in the chapter "Fool's Paradise' with discussions of Keynsian economics and Phillips curves (the Philips curve idea is demolished convincingly by Ormerod in "The Death of Economics"), I. Fisher and monetarism, and Marxism. These were all ideas requiring equilibria of one sort or another. Also interesting: her description why, in the long run, imperialism is bound to fail, written in 1984, well before the fall of the USSR. Her prediction for the fate of the West is not better. Jacobs is aware of the idea of feedback and relies on it well and heavily. She is a sharp observor of economic behavior and is well versed in economic history. This book will likely be found interesting by a scientifically-minded reader who is curious about how economies work, and why all older theoretical ideas (Keynes, monetarism, ... ) have failed to describe economies as they evolve.
I'm grateful to Yi-Ching Zhang of the Econophysics Forum for recommending this book.
An exciting, observant, and enduring work.......2000-04-27
Wow. Jacobs is so adept at explaining the complex currents of global, national and local economies that even the casual reader will be spellbound. The book is simultaneously radical (she essentially repudiates all modern macro-economic theory) and reasonable. This book is a great asset to anyone who wishes to comprehend the world around them.
One of the Best.......2000-03-12
I read this in 1984. It is one of the five best non-fiction books I have read. Really. It forced me to reconsider some long-held notions about the economic role of individuals, and their environments, in society.
Average customer rating:
- Foundation stone of Economics
- An interesting, but hard read
- The Tao of Economics
- A Classic Misinterpreted by Those Who Revere it Most
- The apology for exploitation
|
The Wealth of Nations: Books 1-3 (Penguin Classics)
Adam Smith , and Andrew Skinner
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Economic History
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Colonial Period
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Business Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside History Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
- The Wealth of Nations, Books IV-V (Penguin Classics)
- The Theory of Moral Sentiments
- The Communist Manifesto (Penguin Classics)
- Capital: Volume 1: A Critique of Political Economy (Penguin Classics)
- The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (Dover Value Editions)
ASIN: 0140432086 |
Customer Reviews:
Foundation stone of Economics.......2006-08-07
"The market price of every particular commodity is regulated
by the proportion between the quantity which is actually
brought to market, and the demand of those who are willing
to pay the natural price of the commodity."
[The Wealth of Nations]
Not easiest book to read, nor shortest one. But it deserves attention of serious student of Economics. It constitutes the baseline from which all modern Economics theories developed. Kind regards, Mario.
An interesting, but hard read.......2004-08-05
The Wealth of Nations handles a lot of economical phenomena in a concrete but sometimes complex way. On one hand the book is filled with ideas, some convincing, some out-dated, some fundamental to the current believe in free-markets. These ideas are combined with appealing (or appalling) examples of the injustice done to people by disturbing the free-market. On the other hand however, I find that certain sections of the book require a lot of concentration. The book is an interesting, but slow and at times difficult, read.
Essentially, it is a treatise on the power of individuals to maximise their own wealth and therefor a support for
![The Next Great Bubble Boom [ABRIDGED]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0743527410.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg)
