Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner?: A Story of Women and Economics

Business & Finance, Economics, Economic History, Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Who Cooked Adam Smith's Dinner?: A Story of Women and Economics by Katrine Marcal, Pegasus Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Katrine Marcal ISBN: 9781681771854
Publisher: Pegasus Books Publication: June 7, 2016
Imprint: Pegasus Books Language: English
Author: Katrine Marcal
ISBN: 9781681771854
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication: June 7, 2016
Imprint: Pegasus Books
Language: English

A funny, clever, and thought-provoking examination of the myth of the "economic man" and its impact on the global economy

How do you get your dinner? That is the basic question of economics. When economist and philosopher Adam Smith proclaimed that all our actions were motivated by self-interest, he used the example of the baker and the butcher as he laid the foundations for 'economic man.' He argued that the baker and butcher didn't give bread and meat out of the goodness of their hearts. It's an ironic point of view coming from a bachelor who lived with his mother for most of his life — a woman who cooked his dinner every night.

Nevertheless, the economic man has dominated our understanding of modern-day capitalism, with a focus on self-interest and the exclusion of all other motivations. Such a view point disregards the unpaid work of mothering, caring, cleaning and cooking. It insists that if women are paid less, then that's because their labor is worth less. Economics has told us a story about how the world works and we have swallowed it, hook, line and sinker. This story has not served women well. Now it's time to change it.

A kind of femininst Freakonomics, Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner? charts the myth of economic man — from its origins at Adam Smith's dinner table, its adaptation by the Chicago School, and its disastrous role in the 2008 Global Financial Crisis — in a witty and courageous dismantling of one of the biggest myths of our time.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A funny, clever, and thought-provoking examination of the myth of the "economic man" and its impact on the global economy

How do you get your dinner? That is the basic question of economics. When economist and philosopher Adam Smith proclaimed that all our actions were motivated by self-interest, he used the example of the baker and the butcher as he laid the foundations for 'economic man.' He argued that the baker and butcher didn't give bread and meat out of the goodness of their hearts. It's an ironic point of view coming from a bachelor who lived with his mother for most of his life — a woman who cooked his dinner every night.

Nevertheless, the economic man has dominated our understanding of modern-day capitalism, with a focus on self-interest and the exclusion of all other motivations. Such a view point disregards the unpaid work of mothering, caring, cleaning and cooking. It insists that if women are paid less, then that's because their labor is worth less. Economics has told us a story about how the world works and we have swallowed it, hook, line and sinker. This story has not served women well. Now it's time to change it.

A kind of femininst Freakonomics, Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner? charts the myth of economic man — from its origins at Adam Smith's dinner table, its adaptation by the Chicago School, and its disastrous role in the 2008 Global Financial Crisis — in a witty and courageous dismantling of one of the biggest myths of our time.

More books from Pegasus Books

Cover of the book Now You Know by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book The Execution of Sherlock Holmes by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Elizabeth's Rival: The Tumultuous Life of the Countess of Leicester: The Romance and Conspiracy that Threatened Queen Elizabeth's Court by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Ask Alice: A Novel by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book The Voices: A Novel by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Deja Vu, Italian Style by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Sugar: The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Our Necessary Shadow: The Nature and Meaning of Psychiatry by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Caper: A Stanley Hastings Mystery (Stanley Hastings Mysteries) by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Quarantine by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Sherlock Holmes and the Ghosts of Bly: And Other New Adventures of the Great Detective by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book The Lovecraft Squad: Waiting (Lovecraft Squad) by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Bear No Malice: A Novel by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book Empires in the Sun: The Struggle for the Mastery of Africa by Katrine Marcal
Cover of the book The Last Witness: A Detective Daley Thriller by Katrine Marcal
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy