As the economic system under which you live, capitalism shapes the marketplaces that determine where you live and work, how much you are paid, what you can buy, what you can accumulate toward your retirement, and every other aspect of a society based on monetary exchanges for goods and services. In an era of globalization, capitalism has strengthened its influence on the world economy. The system under which a majority of the world’s population lives continues to strengthen the links of interdependence between the world’s economies.

Money and markets are only part of capitalism’s impact. capitalism is as much a social force as an economic one. Its impact on non economic life has drawn the attention of people outside of economics, as well as those inside the discipline, including some of its greatest minds.

In. Thinking about capitalism. Professor Jerry Z. Muller of The Catholic University of America is an award-winning intellectual historian. Fresh insights will strengthen your understanding of capitalism’s rich history, its fascinating proponents and opponents, and its startling impact on our world.

An Exploration Beyond Economics

Professor Muller uses his exceptional ability to frame each thinker’s concerns within its historical context to look at how some of the greatest minds have thought about capitalism and its moral, political, and cultural ramifications.

Professor Muller looks at capitalism from its 17th-century beginnings to today’s era of globalization.

• What effect does capitalism have on personal development? Or on our identities as individuals, as members of a group, or even as citizens of a nation?
• What about the seemingly unending variety of consumer goods made possible by capitalism? Have they made our culture better—or worse?
• Do the facts support our tendency to think about capitalism as the economic system practiced in “free” countries? Or can capitalism exist in a wide variety of political systems?

There are questions about capitalism’s impact as it continues to expand. What are the long-term implications of globalization? How should we strengthen or limit the growth of the economy? Can capitalism undermine itself?

capitalism is placed in its full societal context. Thinking about capitalism. You can consider, discuss, and answer these and other critical questions, regardless of your point of view.

Get Insights from Three Centuries of Thinkers

Some of the most interesting people in history have grappled with capitalism. With excitement, caution, or even fear, they have explored its key features, cultural prerequisites, and human implications.

Their writings have defended capitalism, argued against it, and disagreed over how to describe it.

These are some of the great minds you meet in these lectures.

• Adam Smith: Although famous for The Wealth of Nations , this giant of the Enlightenment was in fact a moral philosopher and political economist whose ideas about capitalism, capitalists, and government exploded past any boundaries of “economics.”
• Joseph Schumpeter: One of capitalism’s most wide-ranging thinkers, Schumpeter published four books, at least three of which are considered seminal.
• Ferdinand Tönnies and Georg Simmel: Tönnies argued that modern history was moving away from tightly knit communities at emotional cost to the individual, while Simmel explored how capitalism offered new possibilities for individuality and community.
• Friedrich von Hayek: After a flirtation with reformist Socialism, Hayek embraced classical Liberalism, producing influential critiques of collectivism and the welfare state, sharing a Nobel Prize in economics, and winning broad acknowledgment for his work on the coordinating function of the marketplace.

The grand intellects Professor Muller talks about include Voltaire, Rousseau, Burke, Hamilton, De Tocqueville, Hegel, Marx, Arnold, Weber, Lenin, and Marcuse.

Every area of your life can be improved by their insights. They can surface in the decisions you make about family, work, and consumption, and they can give you a more thoughtful perspective on the ideas and behaviors of commentators, corporations, and governments.

A Fascinating Journey Led by an Ideal Teacher

Professor Muller takes you from the beginnings of capitalism in Holland and England to the challenges of nationalism, globalization, and contemporary varieties of capitalism.

He connects the dots from idea to idea, thinker to thinker. In. Thinking about capitalism. You can finally understand the history and concepts of this vital economic system, as well as its importance on the global economic stage and in your own life.