Argues that wealth is not - or should not be - an end in itself, but a means to 'the good life'. Tracing the concept from Aristotle to the present, this book shows how far modern life has strayed from that ideal. It rejects the idea that there is any single measure of human progress, whether GDP or 'happiness'.
A crisp and pungent book
"How much is enough?" is a good question. Anyone who sets store by capitalism and markets will find [this] book uncomfortable reading. It should be read all the same
A truly innovative and radical perspective on reshaping the economy ... thought-stirring and extremely refreshing
A welcome call to reinvigorate society's ethical aspect and bring about the good life for everyone
In their thoughtful book, the Skidelskys move seamlessly from the abstract to the concrete; from philosophy to public policy. They note that Keynes's futuristic essay was ignored as the world sank into the Great Depression. Will we again ignore this call to imagine a better future?
Robert Skidelsky is Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick. His three volume biography of John Maynard Keynes (1983, 1992, 2000) received numerous prizes, including the Lionel Gelber Prize for International Relations and the Council on Foreign Relations Prize for International Relations. He was made a life peer in 1991, and aFellow of the British Academy in 1994.
Edward Skidelsky is a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Exeter. He is author of Ernst Cassirer: The Last Philosopher of Culture and contributes regularly to the New Statesman and Prospect. He is currently working on a book entitled The Language of the Virtues.