Description
Capitalist Economics introduces and explains the basic economic forces that shape the present and structure the future of capitalist societies today. Rejecting the idea that economics is a universal science of "choice" or the "efficient allocation of scarce resources," this book analyzes economic forces and relations as essential elements of a broader society. This entails understanding "the economic" as a logic that always operates alongside cultural, political, and social forces. As well, it requires grasping the economic as itself a product of historical development. This book explores the unique economic pressures found in capitalist societies, offering detailed yet concise analysis of basic concepts - commodities, money, exchange, interest - and investigating broader issues such as the source of profit, the nature of growth, and the role of technology and invention. Written for political scientists, sociologists, philosophers, cultural studies scholars, and beyond, the book is a completely new way of grasping socio-economic relations.
Table of Contents
PrefaceIntroduction: What is Economics?Part I: Economics in History1. Social Orders and Economic Relations2. How Societies Produce3. Capitalist Social OrdersPart II: Capitalist Economic Relations4. Money5. Commodities6. ProfitPart III: Capitalist Economic Forces7. Entrepreneurs & Investment8. Bankers & Interest9. The Rules of CapitalismSources and Further ReadingGlossary of Terms (by Benjamin Taylor)
