New life of old ideas (On the book “Economic thought: A brief history” by Heinz D. Kurz)

Abstract

The article discusses the main ideas of the book “Economic thought: A brief history” by the renowned historian of economics Heinz D. Kurz. Despite its brevity, the book covers a wide range of historiographical issues, ranging from Plato to E. F. Fama. One of the greatest virtues of the book is a productive balance between the analysis of economic ideas per se and consideration of the contexts which gave birth to one or another concept. The book is also remarkable for its generosity to intellectual opponents and its opposition towards considering the past theories in the light of modern economics. The book compares favorably with many other works in the history of economic thought because Professor Kurz successfully avoids splitting economic concepts into “good” and “bad” categories.