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wybohoukes's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
1.75
A wealth of historical information, interlaced with and followed by reflections on the nature of economics. Often repetitive, sometimes inconsistent, always highly opinionated.
adamrshields's review against another edition
5.0
Short review: This is one of the best economic books I have read. It is a wide ranging book about the purpose and history of economics. The first half is about how economics have been understood by looking at ancient historical documents (Epic of Gilgamesh, Old Testament, New Testament, various Greek philosophers). Then it moves to how early economics viewed economics. The last section is about the limits of economics and a call for economics to move away from mathematics determinism and to a renewed interest in ethics. It is not rejecting the mathematical focus of economics but rather calling for a new humility because humans are not rational robots and economists are not very good prophets.
My full review is at http://bookwi.se/economics-good-evil-sedlacek/
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I was provided a copy for review from the Amazon Vine program.
My full review is at http://bookwi.se/economics-good-evil-sedlacek/
______
I was provided a copy for review from the Amazon Vine program.
leevoncarbon's review against another edition
4.0
A rather dense book that I could not read profitably after 10 p.m. He offers a detailed summary of the many ways people have thought about the economy from the beginning of history. His sections on the Old Testament and on Jesus were of special interest to me and he handled that material fairly and with fresh insight. His book is a strong challenge against the way modern economics is built around a hedonistic self love and the way it has been reduced to mathematical calculations without any moral moorings. There are wide swaths of Christianity that have followed suit - beyond the giving of a tithe and being honest in business dealings, there is little thought about the moral component of our economic life. It is notable how strongly the author speaks in support of things like gratitude, Sabbath, and moderation.
moseslh's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn't expecting much from this book, but it really blew me away, changing the way I understood economics while articulating many of the qualms I had with the field. Sedláček is a leading economist in the Czech Republic who argues for the need to ground economics in the humanities. Sedláček's "meta-economics" examines the narratives, assumptions, and values that underlie the supposedly objective/rational/scientific discipline of mainstream economics. Economics of Good and Evil includes chapters discussing the meta-economics of Gilgamesh, the Hebrew Bible, Christianity, Descartes, and the moral philosopher (yup, that's what he was!) Adam Smith. Sedláček critiques the over-mathematization of economics, which creates sophisticated models with little practical use because they are built on simplifying premises that bear no resemblance to reality. He offers alternate frameworks for an economics drawn from great works of literature, philosophy, and religion. While economists currently try to maximize growth at all times, Sedláček proposes a "sabbath economy" that prioritizes giving people time to appreciate what they've already created rather than constantly working towards more (with no increase in happiness to show for it, as Sedláček notes from the psychology literature).
Sedláček's bold new vision for economic frameworks should be required reading for economics students. It puts the field in perspective in an invaluable way. If more policy-makers thought like Sedláček, we'd live in a happier, more sustainable world.
Sedláček's bold new vision for economic frameworks should be required reading for economics students. It puts the field in perspective in an invaluable way. If more policy-makers thought like Sedláček, we'd live in a happier, more sustainable world.
annabanana96's review against another edition
3.0
✅ More about history, religion, and philosophy than about hard economics, but that was the author's aim as we find out; for me personally not what I expected but still interesting
❌ When you're familiar with the basic philosophical ideas (Plato, Aristotle, Adam Smith, Mill, Keynes, Marx) this book offers little new thoughts; I personally found Mandeville interesting though
❌ Often only touches topics shallowly and then storms off to the next; conclusions are sometimes missing or how everything ties in to the topic of good, evil, and economics
❌ Abstract talk about good and evil but no scientific hard facts
❌ The first 5 chapters could have been summarized in 1 chapter in my opinion; they're very general history and philosophy and no real new ideas or conclusions are introduced
✅ From chapter 6 on (Mandeville) I enjoyed reading a bit more and there were also some interesting ideas, however, mostly not Sedlacek's own
✅ Many philosophers introduced from Ancient Greece to modern day; great as an impetus for continuous reading
❌ Sometimes quite repetitive and I can't see the conclusions in some of the passages; the connection to economics or the title seems lost
❌ Very opinionated, little scientific writing, more of a pleading
(I read the German version of this book)
❌ When you're familiar with the basic philosophical ideas (Plato, Aristotle, Adam Smith, Mill, Keynes, Marx) this book offers little new thoughts; I personally found Mandeville interesting though
❌ Often only touches topics shallowly and then storms off to the next; conclusions are sometimes missing or how everything ties in to the topic of good, evil, and economics
❌ Abstract talk about good and evil but no scientific hard facts
❌ The first 5 chapters could have been summarized in 1 chapter in my opinion; they're very general history and philosophy and no real new ideas or conclusions are introduced
✅ From chapter 6 on (Mandeville) I enjoyed reading a bit more and there were also some interesting ideas, however, mostly not Sedlacek's own
✅ Many philosophers introduced from Ancient Greece to modern day; great as an impetus for continuous reading
❌ Sometimes quite repetitive and I can't see the conclusions in some of the passages; the connection to economics or the title seems lost
❌ Very opinionated, little scientific writing, more of a pleading
(I read the German version of this book)
garyboland's review against another edition
4.0
really enjoyable, highly recommended. A bit of everything in this one: philosophy, history, science
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