Eminent Economists: Their Life Philosophies

Book Overview

An intimate view of the dominant economists of this century, scholars whose work changed the direction of the discipline, is presented in this volume. The contributors, who come from quite divergent points of the ideological compass, present their life philosophies and reflect on their conceptions of human nature, society, justice and the source of the creative impulse.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521449871
• ISBN13: 9780521449878
• Release Date: May 1993
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Marvelous Foray into the Minds of the "Deep Thinkers" of Economics

This book provdies a rare glimpse into the minds of many of the top thinkers in economics. By presenting their collective rememberances in a cohesive, easily approached set of essays, the author providers readers with a concise perspective on many fundamental topics in economics. A MUST for anyone trying to figure out 'why things are the way they are"!

Mandatory reading for students of economics

A fascinating book, and something that should be mandatory reading for all graduate-level economics students prior to their taking advanced theory classes. A careful reading of this book will give the reader insight into the current state of the profession, an understanding of how it became so, and, perhaps, a more sympathetic view of the "supporting cast" of economists.One is struck by the wide disparity in the quality and content of these essays. Some are quite insightful: either shedding light on a particular economist's field(s) of interest, or else opening the particular economist's psyche for the reader to see. Tibor Scitovsky's piece is an excellent example of writing that does both; the reader comes away with knowledge of the intellectual underpinnings of Scitovsky's work as well as some clarity into what motivated him in the first place. His is, in my opinion, the most thought-provoking piece in the book. Also notable, William Baumol's essay is a clearly written, lucid exposition of his worldview, and even the most ideologically opposite reader comes away with an appreciation for Baumol the man.Other essays are turgid and difficult to wade through (like much of economic writing, I'm afraid). Maurice Allais' work was so uninteresting as to make me wish I were reading something else. To be fair, it must be noted that Allais' piece was translated and may have been brilliant in the original French.Some of the economists obviously took lightly the task of setting their life philosophies in print, while others took advantage of the opportunity to try to wrest validation for their now-discredited theories. Samuelson's piece, in particular, came across as shrill and catty, resulting to the often-used but rarely effective (except in the academic world) tactic of criticizing an opponent with an a priori sense of correctness (by which I mean including in the criticism the inflection that "everyone who's anyone already believes this, I'm just doing the world a favor and putting it in print." Samuelson does himself much disservice by attacking his betters, especially Hayek and Friedman, in this manner.)A pleasant surprise was discovering that the life philosophies of some of the economists from whom I least expected it turned out to be interesting and enjoyable to read. Shigeto Tsuru's essay falls into this category. Although I disagree with almost all of his economic work, Tsuru demonstrates his intellectual consistency and helps the reader to understand his motivation, as well as admire his intellectual honesty in staying true to his ideals.One final note: It is striking the amount of influence certain economists held over this generation, and by extrapolation, hold over the world as we know it. One wonders what shape the world would be in if Joseph Schumpeter, J.M. Keynes, A.C. Pigou and a few others had chosen other professions.

Eminent Economists

I enjoyed reading this book because it comprises twenty-two essays in which economists illustrate their lives and personal philosophies. The economists who come from quite different points of the ideological extent display inspiring intellectual depth and breadth of knowledge. They expose their life philosophies and consider on their conceptions of human nature, society, justice and the source of the creative impulse. The self-portraits expose details of the economists' personal and professional lives that capture the meaning of the total person. Furthermore, they illustrate the result of their labor, and they change one's notions of what an economist can do or be. Overall, I found this book very interesting and I believe it should be in the collections of all academic libraries.