Irina Khakamada read for us the book by Robert L. Heilbroner “Philosophers of this world. Great Economic Thinkers: Their Life, Times and Ideas.
“With a diploma in economics from the Faculty of International Economics and Law of the University of Peoples’ Friendship, I once successfully defended my Ph.D. thesis at Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosov. And then a notification came that I had to pass another candidate’s exam within a week — in the history of economic doctrines. Otherwise, my defense could be canceled, since the qualification requirements of Moscow State University and RUDN University were different.
As a teacher of political economy, I took a vacation at my own expense and overlaid with thick books … A week of my life was devoted to one goal — to densely fill the brain cells with the ideas of great economists and philosophers — from Aristotle, Adam Smith to Keynes and Schumpeter. I lost 5 kg, but I passed the exam. Two hours after leaving the Moscow State University building, the brain was relieved of all knowledge, deciding that they would no longer be needed. And I was wrong!
Poured into the container of my unconscious, the economic substance of the world settled like fine wine and, absorbed in small portions, made it possible to navigate in time and space. Thanks to such a compass, I went into private business in time, and becoming a deputy, I could develop national security strategies and crawl out of economic crises, preparing for them, or – if I didn’t have time – to skillfully use anti-crisis tools.
Dear readers, you are in luck! You do not need to suffer, lose weight and not sleep. You just need to relax and enjoy the excellent guide to world economic history. It is easy to read, it contains many details not only about the ideas of the great economists, but also about their private lives. (By the way, the latter allows you to remember even dry facts.) This energetic book suggests answers to many questions that arise in an era of economic crisis. And what will be the money instead of the dollar? Wait for devaluation or not? And if the state has already begun devaluation, then to what level will it continue? The most interesting chapter is the story of John M. Keynes.
After all, it was he who pulled America out of the Great Depression, with which the current crisis is measured. And a person who reads about Keynes will certainly understand the current situation and understand, for example, why the state interferes in the economy. In a word, you have a chance to see the global picture of the world. And through it — their local history. Anyway, it helped me.»