From descriptions on the cover, Tomas Sedlacek is an interesting man. A former economic advisor to Vaclav Havel, this book has been a best seller in the Czech Republic and even, apparently, converted into a play. This book reflects such a range having references to Douglas Adams, popular films such as the Matrix, and ancient myths as well as to the great economists.
This range of interests ties in with the aim of this book to reframe and broaden the subject of economics to reflect deeper aspects of human nature. In doing this he even looks at this from an archetypal nature, even drawing on some of Jung's ideas in this. If looking at archetypes is a feature of what is sometimes called depth-psychology, this book could be described as an exercise in depth-economics, because it looks deeply into the origins of ideas that underpin the subject, exploring these in greater depth than I have seen anywhere else- though Richard Bronk's
The Romantic Economist: Imagination in Economics
would make for an interesting comparison.
Sedlacek argues that economics reframes many ideas that come, on an archetypal level, from other sources. To demonstrate this he attempts what he wryly calls the first economics analysis of the Gilgamesh epic, showing how it reflects the conflict between the wild and the civilized, a dilemma at the heart of economics. He also looks into how ideas from the Bible (both ancient Jewish and Christian), the Ancient Greeks, rationalism, mathematics and even emotions colour and affect one's view of reality and hence an economic viewpoint.
Looking at contemporary economics with its complex mathematical models, Sedlacek is pragmatic, arguing they tell another and valid story. His approach is integrative, avoiding getting lost in feuds that have characterised the history of economics to this day. Or perhaps one should say the approach is re-integrative. As Sedlacek points out many great economists such as Adam Smith, Ricardo, Marx, and even Keynes have regarded the subject as a moral one, not a physical science. If economics is treated as a mathematical exercise, without morality, it becomes blind and ceases to tell us anything. In recognising the moral, economics is simply returning to its roots.
This is a thought provoking book, beautifully produced. It may change your view of economics, and maybe, even of human nature. Fritz Schumacher, who is quoted early in the book, once said that economics "is not a science it's a branch of human wisdom." Though the science aspect is honoured, there is a lot of wisdom in this book. It deserves to have the widest influence.
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Jacob Joekansky
Poor Binding for the Hardcover. Save your money and buy the paperback.
Reviewed in Canada on 6 April 2022jamesm1291
economics as moral philosophy
Reviewed in the United States on 9 February 2012
