A Little History of Economics (Little Histories)

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But the practice of moneylending was becoming very convenient for the merchants of Venice and Genoa, who were beginning to trade with other cities in Europe and the Mediterranean. The first banks emerged here to let merchants store their money and easily settle debts. So, in theory, it’s supposed to be readable by a teenager who is interested in finding out about economics. In practice, the main readership is probably adults. En realidad, y a diferencia de otras ciencias, te cruzas con ideas económicas en acción todo el tiempo, teorías, modelos, ideologías: en el mercado cuando usas billetes y monedas para obtener un producto; en el artículo del periódico dónde lees sobre las últimas decisiones del gobierno acerca de la recaudación de impuestos, impuestos que realmente pagas; cuando experimentas los cambios aparentemente impredecibles de los patrones de tiempo atmosférico y que son ahora lo que décadas de decisiones económicas han creado; cuando pagas una hamburguesa que te trae un domiciliario y usas una tarjeta de crédito y canales electrónicos para realizar el intercambio. You might think you know what economics is about. Input-output, supply and demand, etcetera, etcetera. In a way, you’d be right. The word economics comes from the ancient Greek – oikos for house, and nomos for law. For the Greeks, economics was about managing households.

L'economia, intesa come studio e gestione delle risorse, come ottimizzazione e miglioramento di quanto disponibile, è una scienza antica, che affonda letteralmente le radici nella terra: quella che migliaia di anni fa i nostri antenati scoprirono di poter rendere più produttiva, se si fossero resi stanziali e avessero messo a frutto le tecniche da cui è poi nata l'agricoltura. Ciertamente, y como ha sido demostrado sistemáticamente, usar matemáticas no le da a la economía el impresionante poder predictivo de la física, que todavía no tiene rival entre las ciencias, al menos en este aspecto, pero que también es así porque trata de fenómenos mucho más "simples" (les recuerdo que yo mismo soy Físico). Pero esta característica, la de usar leyes, modelos y matemáticas, ciertamente convierte a la economía en uno de los esfuerzos intelectuales más originales y fascinantes en las ciencias humanas. Fourier, Owen ve Simon’dan oluşan bu üç ütopyacıyı kimileri sosyalizmin mucitleri veya nüveleri olarak görür, ama Marx, bunları “yeni dünyaları düşünen, ancak bunları nasıl elde edeceğini bilmeyen hayalperestler olarak niteler, ve “daha iyi bir dünya insanların iyi niyetine dayanılarak gerçekleştirilemez” der. Andre Gunder Frank (1929-2005): Merkezinde Avrupa ve Kuzey Amerika’nın olduğu “zengin çekirdek”, periferi pahasına kazanır. Zengin ve yoksul ülke arası fark büyümektedir. Yoksulların ekonomileri, büyük yabancı şirketlerin tahakkümü altındadır. Kapitalizm hiçbir şeyi yola koyamaz, devrim tek çaredir. La economía está en todas partes! O esto es lo que he aprendido después de leer esta maravillosa síntesis.Joseph Schumpeter (1883-1950): Kapitalizm huzursuz girişimcilerin sebep olduğu yaratıcı yıkımlarla giden daimi değişimdir. Tekeller, riskli faaliyetler sonucu yeniliklerle ekonominin yolunu açar. Ancak kapitalizmin canlılığı, kendisini yıkacak olan tohumları barındırır. Kapitalistler giderek daha çok kar alırken, işçiler daha az alır ve sistem çökene kadar bu devam eder. Süreç içinde; devlet müdahalelerini içeren “karma ekonomi” ile sistem bir süre hareket halinde kalır. Sonunda sistemin tepesinde bulunanların ve tatminsiz entellektüellerin bunalımı yüzünden kapitalizmin sonu gelecektir. Platon (İÖ 428-347): Toplum; bronz ruhlu köleler, gümüş ruhlu savaşçılar, altın ruhlu yönetici filozof krallardan oluşur. Servet sahibi olmak kuşkuyla karşılanır. La Economía es una de esas disciplinas científicas que atraviesan realmente nuestras vidas. Y no me refiero aquí a lo que decimos de otras ciencias, "la química está en todo", "la física explica los fenómenos cotidianos", "la biología es la ciencia de tu cuerpo". No. Solid state physics Quantum theory Chemical bonds SCIENCE Physics Condensed Matter Física do estado sólido Mecânica quântica

Like Aristotle, early Christian thinkers didn’t much care for moneylenders. In the thirteenth century, St. Thomas of Aquinas detested moneylending, which he called “usury.” The only proper, Christian use for money, he believed, was buying and selling. What causes poverty? Are economic crises inevitable under capitalism? Is government intervention in an economy a helpful approach or a disastrous idea? The answers to such basic economic questions matter to everyone, yet the unfamiliar jargon and math of economics can seem daunting. This clear, accessible, and even humorous book is ideal for young readers new to economics and for all readers who seek a better understanding of the full sweep of economic history and ideas. Economic historian Niall Kishtainy organizes short, chronological chapters that center on big ideas and events. He recounts the contributions of key thinkers including Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and others, while examining topics ranging from the invention of money and the rise of agrarianism to the Great Depression, entrepreneurship, environmental destruction, inequality, and behavioral economics. The result is a uniquely enjoyable volume that succeeds in illuminating the economic ideas and forces that shape our worldBut Kishtainy does not begin with Riccardo or his more famous contemporary, Adam Smith—‘the father of modern economics’. Instead, he starts much earlier. Taking readers into the heart of ancient Greece, Kishtainy places the origins of economic thought on the shoulders of the ancient Greek philosophers, whom he calls the world’s ‘first economic thinkers’ (7). Plato envisioned a world where no one owned property or pursued wealth. Aristotle argued for the even and honest exchange of goods. Both warned against the love of money.

This book is an intellectual treasure trove for anyone interested in history, big ideas, and the role that economic thinking has played in both for more than 2000 years."—Charles Wheelan, author of Naked Economics Aristotle’s grumbling didn’t have much of an impact on the development of an economy, though. Commerce, once it had begun, was here to stay.A whistle-stop introduction to the great works and thinkers of each age, this is a clear and accessible primer.”—Laura Garmeson, Financial Times