Worldly Philosopher: The Odyssey of Albert O. Hirschman($12.20Value)

Description

The life and times of one of the most provocative thinkers of the twentieth century Worldly Philosopher chronicles the times and writings of Albert O. Hirschman, one of the twentieth century's most original and provocative thinkers. In this gripping biography, Jeremy Adelman tells the story of a man shaped by modern horrors and hopes, a worldly intellectual who fought for and wrote in defense of the values of tolerance and change. This is the first major account of Hirschman’s remarkable life, and a tale of the twentieth century as seen through the story of an astute and passionate observer. Adelman’s riveting narrative traces how Hirschman’s personal experiences shaped his unique intellectual perspective, and how his enduring legacy is one of hope, open-mindedness, and practical idealism. *Starred Review* Economics, philosophy, and more than 700 pages—oh my! That’s one way to view Adelman’s brilliant biography of economist-philosopher Albert O. Hirschman. But like Hirschman himself, who took a skewed and often inventive look at nearly everything, there are many ways to describe and delight in this book. It is at once an adventure, as the young Hirschman leaves his homeland, Germany, in 1933, at 17, determined to find a place for himself in the world. And what a world he moves through—Marxists, Nazis, wars and revolutions, and many emigrations and émigrés (Hirschman, taking on false identities, helped such luminaries as Max Ernst and Hannah Arendt escape a devouring Europe). Later, Hirschman, at times shunned for his economic ideas as well as how he presented them—often sans mathematical formulas—traveled throughout the world, living in many countries, observing, and writing about his observations. Adelman sensitively draws out this enlightening and heartening life, sketching in, along the way, the characters surrounding Hirschman. His wife, Sarah, was part of Hirschman’s odyssey, and Adelman portrays her as not only capable but a smart, brave, discerning, and interesting person. Hirschman’s primary field was economics, but he eschewed formulaic solutions to human problems, choosing instead aphoristic thinking and petites idées, as “small things could provide big insights” (and throughout, wordsmith Adelman perceptively and astutely serves wordsmith Hirschman). Nearly every page of this book inspires thought or admiration or fear for the outcome or exultation at the revelations. Hirschman’s ideas hew to the individual; for instance, because expected outcomes are not achieved, does this make the endeavor a failure, or can one seek instead the surprising good that came from it? A bright world of thought and viable enterprise opens before readers—including, perhaps especially, noneconomists—and it should not be missed. --Eloise Kinney "Winner of the 2014 Joseph J. Spengler Best Book Prize, History of Economics Society" "One of Bloomberg/Businessweek Best Books of 2013, selected by Ollie Rehn" "One of Financial Times (Alphachat)'s Econ Books of the Year for 2013" "One of The Guardian Best Books of 2013, chosen by Malcolm Gladwell" "Honorable Mention for the 2013 PROSE Award in Biography & Autobiography, Association of American Publishers" "[A] biography worthy of the man. Adelman brilliantly and beautifully brings Hirschman to life, giving us an unforgettable portrait of one of the twentieth century's most extraordinary intellectuals. . . . [M]agnificent." ---Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker "[A] hugely engaging . . . epic." ---Justin Fox, New York Times Book Review "[An] astonishing and moving biography. . . . Hirschman's work is more than interesting enough to justify a book (or two, or ten), but Adelman's achievement is to demonstrate, in novelistic detail, that he also lived an astounding life, full of narrow paths and ridiculously improbable twists and turns." ---Cass Sunstein, New York Review of Books "[A] massive, erudite biography." ---Roger Lowenstein, Wall Street Journal "[T]he winner [ Enlightened Economist prize this year] is Jeremy Adelman's The Worldly Philosopher , a biography of Albert Hirschman. Hirschman's life story is extraordinary, and his early years make for a gripping tale. What I particularly enjoyed, though, was the portrait of an economist whose economics had a context in the realities of the countries Hirschman studied, their history and politics and culture, and in his wide reading in philosophy and other subjects. . . . A worthy winner--congratulations to Professor Adelman!" ---Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist "This is the book I have looked forward to most all year and so far it does not disappoint." ---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution "Adelman's engrossing biography illustrates how Hirschman's global background, natural linguistic ability, education, and worldly experiences shaped his thoughts and enabled his thinking 'outside the box' to arrive at original and often provocative ideas. . . . Hirschman's story will appeal to many general readers, but esp