The Bourgeois Virtues
Book description
For a century and a half, the artists and intellectuals of Europe have scorned the bourgeoisie. And for a millennium and a half, the philosophers and theologians of Europe have scorned the marketplace. The bourgeois life, capitalism, Mencken's "booboisie" and David Brooks's "bobos" - all have been, and still are,…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Bourgeois Virtues as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Economists are arguing to this day what gave rise to the enormous rise in living standards since the 1750s. Deirdre McCloskey argues in this first book of her Bourgeois trilogy that it resulted from a cultural shift in which bourgeois virtues replaced aristocratic ones. The book opened my eyes to the importance of cultural attitudes (dignity and stigma) of various economic and social activities. McCloskey claims that sustained economic growth and innovation were crucially dependent on the dignity of the bourgeois and their commercial activities. McCloskey’s fluent prose which interweaves empirical historical knowledge with literary allusions remains a model to…
From Erwin's list on cultural knowledge to understand the economy.
Want books like The Bourgeois Virtues?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Bourgeois Virtues.
Share your top 3 reads of 2024!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,206
readers submitted
so far, will you?
