Legacies of Great Economists
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When it comes to economics and economic theory, a few legendary thinkers dominate the landscape.
This course introduces you to the thoughts, theories, and lives of the great economists, ranging from the predecessors of Adam Smith in the 18th century to 20th-century giants like John Maynard Keynes and Milton Friedman.
Along with a handful of others, including John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, and Alfred Marshall, they have shaped the world of economics and influenced our lives.
These lectures offer the opportunity to grasp the guiding principles of economics through a better understanding of the economists who developed them.
 Write a Review of Legacies of Great Economists
Economists Role in History, March 19, 2006
Reviewer: LOLDavid
from Los Angeles, California
Timothy Taylor looks at a group of thinkers whose role in history is quite often forgotten, but whose influence is felt every day. Economists such as Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, and Milton Friedman have all developed economic theories which have altered history. The lectures look at one economist which makes them very memorable. It actually works as a philosophical history of economics, showing the development of fundamentals of markets and the value of labor and utility. Each economist builds on the ideas of the previous ones until we have arrived at our modern capitalist conception of economics. It was really an excellent course.
LOLJPB, February 17, 2006
Reviewer: LOLJPB
General Content: After listening to Legacies of Great Economists, I think that I’ve now listened to all of Timothy Taylor’s Teaching Company courses (“Contemporary Economic Issues”, “Economics” and “History of the U.S. Economy in the 20th Century” are the others). Like the courses that I had listened to previously this course was informative and interesting. Hearing about the backgrounds of men such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes adds a new depth of understanding around economics. Rather than merely understanding their theories, one grasps a bit more of the motivation behind their theories as well.
The 10 lectures (approx. 45 minutes in length) on this course each tackle a different period in history, often revolving around the dominant economist (or economists) of that time. It was fascinating to learn of the theories of early “economists” such as the Mercantilists and Physiocrats and realize that many of the things that we understand as economic truths today were actually quite revolutionary at the time.
While this course was intellectually engaging and fun to listen to my only criticism (albeit a minor one) is that the course felt a bit abbreviated. 45 minutes does not give Taylor a lot of time to cover such potentially complex subjects as “An Evaluation of Marxist Economics”. While Taylor does an excellent job within the confines of the time he is given, an extra 15 or 30 minutes per topic may have been nice. I also missed the executive summaries that some Teaching Company courses now have (I purchased this course about a year ago and recent editions may include these summaries).
As an introduction to economic history and great economic minds, this course is excellent. Don’t expect it to go too much into depth and you won’t be disappointed.
Audio-Specific Content: I listened to the audio cassette version of this course. It consisted of 10 lectures on 5 cassettes. Each lecture was 5 minutes in length. Timothy Taylor’s voice can be a little “squeaky” at times but for the most part I find him highly listenable. Overall, the production quality was the same high standards that can be expected of Teaching Company products.
- Published:
2002
- Number Of Lectures:
10
- Lecture Time:
45 Min.
- University:
Macalester College
- LearnOutLoud.com Product ID:
L002682
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5 Tapes |
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Business
Economics
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