Abstract
Since 2008, profound questions have been asked about the driving forces and self-regulating potential of the economic system, political control and morality. With opinion turning against markets and self-interest, economists found themselves on the wrong side of the argument. This book explores how the past of economics can contribute to today’s debates. The book considers how economics took shape as philosophers probed into the viability of commercial society and its potential to generate positive-sum outcomes. It explains how dreams of affluence, morality and happiness were built upon human greed and vanity. It covers the bumpy road of the construction and reconstruction of this dream, exploring the debate on the foundations, conditions and limitations of the idea of the social utility of greed and vanity. Revisiting this debate provides a rich source of ideas in rethinking economics and the basic beliefs concerning our economic system today.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | New York, NY |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Number of pages | 216 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781351977807 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781138285378 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Mar 2018 |
Publication series
| Name | Routledge studies in the history of economics |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Volume | 206 |
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Greed, self-interest and the shaping of economics. / Verburg, Rudi.
New York, NY : Routledge, 2018. 216 p. (Routledge studies in the history of economics; Vol. 206).Research output: Book / Report › Book › Academic › peer-review
TY - BOOK
T1 - Greed, self-interest and the shaping of economics
AU - Verburg, Rudi
PY - 2018/3/15
Y1 - 2018/3/15
N2 - Since 2008, profound questions have been asked about the driving forces and self-regulating potential of the economic system, political control and morality. With opinion turning against markets and self-interest, economists found themselves on the wrong side of the argument. This book explores how the past of economics can contribute to today’s debates. The book considers how economics took shape as philosophers probed into the viability of commercial society and its potential to generate positive-sum outcomes. It explains how dreams of affluence, morality and happiness were built upon human greed and vanity. It covers the bumpy road of the construction and reconstruction of this dream, exploring the debate on the foundations, conditions and limitations of the idea of the social utility of greed and vanity. Revisiting this debate provides a rich source of ideas in rethinking economics and the basic beliefs concerning our economic system today.
AB - Since 2008, profound questions have been asked about the driving forces and self-regulating potential of the economic system, political control and morality. With opinion turning against markets and self-interest, economists found themselves on the wrong side of the argument. This book explores how the past of economics can contribute to today’s debates. The book considers how economics took shape as philosophers probed into the viability of commercial society and its potential to generate positive-sum outcomes. It explains how dreams of affluence, morality and happiness were built upon human greed and vanity. It covers the bumpy road of the construction and reconstruction of this dream, exploring the debate on the foundations, conditions and limitations of the idea of the social utility of greed and vanity. Revisiting this debate provides a rich source of ideas in rethinking economics and the basic beliefs concerning our economic system today.
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U2 - 10.4324/9781315269023
DO - 10.4324/9781315269023
M3 - Book
SN - 9781138285378
T3 - Routledge studies in the history of economics
BT - Greed, self-interest and the shaping of economics
PB - Routledge
CY - New York, NY
ER -