The title signals the intent of economist Heilbroner (New School
for Social Research) to address the elusive issue of what
capitalism is rather than what might become of it. His wide-ranging
but disciplined inquiry yields a wealth of engrossing if
occasionally oblique insights for non-specialists as well as
scholars. At the outset, the author focuses on pre-capitalist
societies (e.g., ancient Egypt, the Mayan empire, et al.) to make
the point that their surplus, or wealth, was largely an end in
itself, not a means for gathering additional wealth. While capital
must ultimately assume physical form, he observes, it can be
grasped only as a social process. In tracking the emergence of
captialism as a stratified society in which the very human drive to
accumulate wealth confers prestige as well as power, Heilbroner
cites Adam Smith, Marx - and Veblen. Invariably, he concludes,
surplus moves toward the top of any society, and profit ("the life
blood of capitalism") reflects essentially political relationships.
Capitalism is not wholly self-ordering; markets are limited in what
they can accomplish, the author points out. State intervention is
required to deal with, for example, defense contracting. He is
nonetheless bemused by the evident ability of capitalists to
obscure the "loss-absorbing, momentum-imparting" contributions of
the public sector. Along similar lines, Heilbroner wonders at the
capacity of a system based on "class domination and mass
acquiescence" to deflect ideological critiques, typically in the
direction of government, despite the development of disruptive new
technologies underwritten by capitalists. Heilbroner's thoughtful
appreciation raises at least as many questions as it answers about
capitalism as practiced (and examined) in Western industrial
powers. On balance, then, an intriguing introduction to the
resilient regime's nature and logic. (Kirkus Reviews)
In search of an answer, The Nature and Logic of Capitalism takes us
on a far-ranging exploration to the unconscious levels of the human
psyche and the roots of domination and submission; to the
organization of primitive society and the origins of wealth; to the
sources of profit and the conception of a "regime" of capital; to
the interplay of relatively slow-changing institutions and the
powerful force of the accumulation of wealth. By the end of this
tour we have grappled not only with ideas of Adam Smith and Karl
Marx but with Freud and modern anthropologists as well. And we are
far closer to understanding capitalism in our time, its
possibilities and limits.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
