Colleen Kelley

These men shaped and swayed the world they buttressed and undermined political
regimes; they set class against class and even nation against nationnot because they plotted
mischief, but because of the extraordinary power of their ideas. Who were these men? We know
them as the Great Economists. But what is strange is how little we know about, is a powerful
quotation at the beginning of the book giving a preview to the reader (13-14). The Worldly
Philosophers: The Lives, Times And Ideas Of The Great Economic Thinkers written by Robert L.
Heilbroner, explains and shows how these men shaped the world and what it took. This book
really enhances understanding of current economic standings and portrays a deeper look into the
history of economics. The reader is able to see the similarities and differences of each economist
which adds another aspect to this book. For anyone wishing to better understand economics, this
book is very helpful.
Robert L. Heilbroner was an American economist and historian of economic thought. He
was born on March 24, 1919 in New York. He wrote many books, but he was best known for
The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers. He
included information about political and social systems in his books. He was a teacher at New
School for Social Research in New York City in the early 1960s. A few of his other successful
novels were An Inquiry into the Human Prospect (1974), The Nature and Logic of
Capitalism (1985), and The Crisis of Vision in Modern Economic Thought (1995; with W.S.
Milberg). Overall, Heilbroner was a very intelligent successful man and writer.
The chapters in the book all contained many ideas and information but the first and last
really stood out. The first chapter gave a different look into economic life and the importance of
economics, along with important questions relating to economics. During this chapter,
Heilbroner talked about why the markets became important at the time they did, which taught me

Colleen Kelley
a lot and was neat to learn about. The last chapter included a useful overview of economics and
also the opinion of Heilbroner about how economics was progressing. It was interesting to find
out the opinion that the author had and the reasons behind it. These two chapters both started and
finished the book with lots of intelligence which made the reader want to keep on reading.
In addition to the first and last chapter, the chapter about the Utopian Socialists was one
of my favorites. In this chapter, Heilbroner explained the idea that the Utopians had, which was
that there wasnt anything preventing society from changing the way livelihood and transactions
were handled. It introduced a new topic and contained information that was fun to learn about.
Another of my favorite parts was the part talking about Karl Marx. This part gave a deeper look
into Karls economic system, but in a different way that came to be sort of shocking. The
explanation of Karls economic system was similar to his analysis as starting from an equal state,
which was a different view.
The book contained three benefits for the reader. One, it gave a simple but insightful
explanation of the ideas that the Great Economists had. It gave the reader a chance to go into the
lives of these economists and the history. Although some of the information was complicated,
Heilbroner discussed it in an understandable language. Second, for anyone who didnt know
about economics, this book provided a useful introduction in economics. For example, the reader
gains a basic understanding of capitalism, socialism, communism, prosperity, etc. This book gave
an explanation of the world of economics, including past, present and future. The information in
this book is extremely helpful for anyone, but especially someone interested in economics.
Lastly, Heilbroner includes an overview of concepts of economic thought. At times, your
thinking brain really needs to be turned on to actually understand the information and process it.
Political, social and ethical concepts are all discussed in this book, increasing the understanding

Colleen Kelley
of economics. There are more than just these three benefits, but these three major benefits really
show how useful this book is to anyone.
Heilbroner provides information about the lives of the economists that are filled with
details that lead to the reader getting a good idea of how the economists acted and thought. In a
way, after learning about these economists, you can find ways to relate to them. Although there is
a lot of information about each person, the book is still comprehensible.
This book is an engaging, and also readable text. It provides the readers with in depth
explanations of the development of modern economic philosophy. Heilbroner introduces an
unfamiliar, but basic concept that adds a nice aspect. He talks about periods of historical
development such as scientific revolution, Renaissance and the Great Depression. The book also
offers insights into the realm of basic economics. Therefore this book is very useful for anyone
wanting to become familiar with economics.
One challenge to this book is that the author goes from idea to idea. It can become hard to
keep up with the information and harder to process the information. Providing more transitions
would have been more helpful. On the other hand, the book is very useful and contains a lot of
information. The organization of the book helps the reader to process the information smoother,
despite the rapid introduction of ideas. Heilbroner includes analysis on background information,
explanations of revenant points and an overview of the book. As a result, the book sharpens the
readers comprehension of economics.
This book is Heilbroner' most successful. The writing is excellent and provides
interesting insights. Some parts were interesting, while others became dull at parts. Unless you
are passionate about learning about economics, it is hard to stay involved with Heilbroner in
depth discussions of economics in this book. For a beginner in economics, there are definitely

Colleen Kelley
benefits to get from reading this book but it will come with struggles. At times the information
can be hard to understand unless you have been familiar with the economic theories and history.
Therefore, for those who have been familiar with the theories and histories this book is just right
for you. It will only increase your knowledge of economics and make it stronger.
Overall, this book is a long intense read. It is hard to really figure out who the audience
for this book is. It is clear that it is not for someone that wants a short read. Heilbroners writing
is advanced, but can be understood, sometimes easier than other times. The book is overall very
strong in the sense that it contains very intense and intelligent material. For beginners in
economics, this book may be too in depth, but on the other hand may be not enough for someone
familiar with economics. Therefore, I would recommend this book for someone who really
understands the principles of economics and has a basic understanding of the history of
economics. This book is best fit for adults, not so much teenagers. Heilbroners explanations can
be very confusing for teenagers and they can become lost in the information.
After reading this book I can say that my knowledge about economics has increased a
ton. I became familiar with very intelligent men such as Karl Marx, David Ricardo, Adam Smith
and more. It was neat to learn about their personalities and their involvement with the world in
general. After learning more about them I felt in some ways I could relate. In addition, I learned
basic concepts I had no idea what they were before. Although Heilbroner leaps from idea to idea,
I felt I could keep up with the pace of the bool. At times, I had to take a minute and try to process
information before continuing to read, but in the end by doing that I was able to take in much
more information. Yes, this book is more fitting for people with advanced knowledge in
economics, but I felt that I was able to enjoy this book and learn a lot from it.

Colleen Kelley
Works Cited
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Robert Louis Heilbroner." Encyclopedia Britannica
Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Heilbroner, Robert L. The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times, and Ideas Of The Great
Economic Thinkers. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1953. Print.