The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times And Ideas Of The Great Economic Thinkers [7th Edition] | ![The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times And Ideas Of The Great Economic Thinkers [7th Edition]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PRA8M2BFL._SL500_.jpg)
| Author: Robert L. Heilbroner
Publisher: Touchstone
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 2101
Media: Paperback
Edition: revised 7th
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 068486214X
Dewey Decimal Number: 330.0922
EAN: 9780684862149
ASIN: 068486214X
Publication Date: August 10, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Fast, reliable delivery. Exceptional customer service. May contain some highlighting. Original supplements not guaranteed. Standard shipping is USPS. Expedited shipping is UPS Ground. Expedited shipping will NOT deliver to HI, AK, PR, PO Boxes, APO/FPO.
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Product Description
The Worldly Philosophers is a bestselling classic that not only enables us to see more deeply into our history but helps us better understand our own times. In this seventh edition, Robert L. Heilbroner provides a new theme that connects thinkers as diverse as Adam Smith and Karl Marx. The theme is the common focus of their highly varied ideas -- namely, the search to understand how a capitalist society works. It is a focus never more needed than in this age of confusing economic headlines.In a bold new concluding chapter entitled "The End of the Worldly Philosophy?" Heilbroner reminds us that the word "end" refers to both the purpose and limits of economics. This chapter conveys a concern that today's increasingly "scientific" economics may overlook fundamental social and political issues that are central to economics. Thus, unlike its predecessors, this new edition provides not just an indispensable illumination of our past but a call to action for our future.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 68 more reviews...
 The Pen is Mightier than the Sword! June 22, 2008
I read this book for a Microeconomics class that I took with Dr. Gertmenian at Pepperdine in California back in the late 1980s.
I enjoyed learning about this handful of powerful philosophers who helped shape economic theory. Some of their theories make good sense; other theories make no sense. There is some serious naive thoughts about human nature.
The most fascinating person to me was Adam Smith and his thoughts about the free markets system. I especially enjoyed learning about his "Invisible hand theory." It essentially says that selfish businessmen will be good for the economy because of an "Invisible hand." It is sort of like the Trickle down Theory where as businesses grow they have to buy more good and services, and employ more people. Even though greed may be the reason for business to grow, the economic impact is frequently positive.
There are many interesting topics in the book. Just a few are: The Economic Revolution, The Visions of the Utopian Socialists, The Contradictions of Joseph Schumpeter and more. This is an excellent book to gain some insight into these early philosophers and their thoughts on economic thinking.
The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
 Good, but too much May 8, 2008
I do think this is a very informative book, but I think the author tries too hard. I have a decently large vocabulary, but there were still several words per chapter I needed a dictionary for. There are also a few passages where the author tried to get a little to linguistically creative, which is not really suit the nature of this piece.
A marvelous introduction to the world of economics May 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's a bit easy to typecast economics as nothing more than mindless pencil pushing, terminal curve shifting, and painful comparative advantage calculating. As far as the social sciences go, it's something of a black sheep, lacking the excitement of political science or the drama of history. The average Joe would probably rank it somewhere between communication studies and linguistics as the interestingness scale, and somewhere between geography and pocket lint in terms of usefulness. In a way, I can sympathize with Joe. I mean, he just took an economics class in high school, maybe a semester of macro in college, and he probably slept through all of it. He probably took one look at an AS/AD model, with that inexplicably vertical Long Run Aggregate Supply curve (how can a line be a curve?!?!), and decided that this wasn't the field for him.
But in another way, I want to call Joe an idiot. Economics is one of the most intellectually stimulating and, yes, enjoyable fields of study ever devised. And besides that, its relevance to modern times (and all of human development) simply can't be overstated: Behind all of the circular flows and Philips curves and marginal propensities to consume lie the very ground rules of human livelihood, the essential dynamics of societal development, and the basic instructions for to go about the surprisingly complex task of not dying. Nations rise and fall at the turn of an interest rate or the flick of a business cycle, and corporations live (and die) on that unpredictable dance of supply and demand. The study of incentives provides us with the best chance we have of truly predicting human behavior.
Perhaps Joe should read this book. The Worldly Philosophers is an engaging, enjoyable, and insightful introduction to the beleaguered study of economics, and a handy guidebook to its most pertinent ideas. Rather than slog through a series of impersonal concepts and theories, the book focuses on the truly remarkable individuals who helped shape the key tenets of economic thought. Its approach is logical and accessible, presenting the development of economic thought from the early days of civilization to the bedrock principles of Adam Smith and onwards through such luminaries as Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes, leading right up to modern times. Their ideas are laid out plainly, and always with plenty of contextual and historical background.
What the book does for economics, it also does for economists. It completely dispels the notion that its subjects were stuffy, dull calculator (or abacus) jockeys. Each chapter is stuffed with humorous anecdotes, engrossing biographical sketches, and amusing asides that reveal the often-eccentric nature of the great economists. The human element is very much in evidence here, and the effect is delightful and entertaining.
It's the kind of thing that Joe would love: Entertaining, endearing, accessible, and informative. Perhaps you would, too.
 A Mixed Bag, Indeed! April 29, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
One reader of this book has noted that this book is a "mixed bag". I think he/she is exactly right.
Obviously, this author has done something pretty remarkable, and has compiled a unique treatment of the history of economics. And the writing style is engaging and entertaining. In many areas, too, the author is very balanced and accurate. In other areas, not very balanced at all nor accurate.
The author resorts often to equivocation and the adoration of Keyenes is sometimes nauseating. And the omission of any significant treatment of Austrian economics is glaring.
In the final analysis, the strength of this book is also its downfall. The unique narrative style of unfolding the content makes it intriguing and sets it apart from other economics books. But it also contributes to a lack of objectivity and a lack of balance at some points.
A disappointment February 15, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I should state that I teach economics for a living and have a BA and MA in Econ, which ulitimately influences my review.
The book, overall, was a disappointment. I was looking for a book that a lay person could read (as this is what the other reviews told me). I wanted a book that I could assign to my students so that they may have a better understanding of the history of economic thought and who some of the key players were. This book only hit that mark 60% of the time. The best part of the book is the opening chapter on the history of markets. Truly a fascinating chapter filled with interesting facts about how acting out of one's own self-interest was actually banned by the church! This chapter is really the only value in the book. The rest of the book simply doesn't lay out the foundations of economics like I thought it would. It assumes that the reader is already well read in economics and that the information presented in the book will add a few detailed facts. As stated, I was looking for a broader approach to the topic. The one thing that I will say is nice about the book is it will expand anyone's vocabulary and it is well written, just not for the target audience I was convinced of.
As a substitute, I highly recommend Paul Strathern's "A Brief History of Economic Genius" - a great read and highly informational.
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