A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 23 “Ben Franklin was Bourgeois and He Embodied Betterment” and Chapter 24 “By 1848 A Bourgeois Ideology Had Triumphed” Two more chapters to conclude this section of the book establishing the ideas that took root in the 1800s that allowed the Bourgeois Deal to…
Tag: Trade Tested Betterment
Bourgeois Equality
Adam Smith Wanted You Free to Make Your Own Decisions
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 22 “And He Formulated the Bourgeois Deal” In this fourth and final chapter exploring Adam Smith’s impact, Dr. McCloskey explores his intellectual contribution toward a cultural shift to a favorable view of the rising bourgeois class. In the past three chapters, she has been…
Bourgeois Equality
The Right’s Story of Economic Growth is Wrong, Too
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 13 “But Neither Can Poverty Be Overcome from the Right by Implanting Institutions” OK, now McCloskey is coming for me! The textbook I use for my intro macroeconomics class has a chapter on the source of economic growth, and the quality of the institutions is one…
Bourgeois Equality
Knowledge Is the True Key
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 12 “‘Accumulate, Accumulate’ Is Not What Happened in History” Last chapter McCloskey explored reasons the word “capitalism” should be replaced with a term that captures the source of the Great Enrichment, such as “trade-tested betterment.” Now she continues along the same path in this chapter…
Bourgeois Equality
Capitalism — I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means
A Discussion of Bourgeois Equality Chapter 11 “Poverty Cannot Be Overcome from the Left by Overthrowing ‘Capitalism’” I will admit, I struggled with this chapter, not because I think she is wrong but because there is a lot of nuance to the matter. Her basic argument is the word, “capitalism,”…