Freedom & Necessity: An Introduction to the Study of Society (Vintage V-682)

Every economist keeps a fantasy list of other economists, dead or alive, whose works they think deserve a Nobel Prize. Among the top 15 on my list are Nick Kaldor, Zvi Grilliches, and most definitely Professor Joan V. Robinson. Robinson's voluminous impact on the development of economics is huge, and one appreciates it with every one of her writings, and other peoples' writings about her. I first read Freedom and Necessity at the British Consulate Library in a country I lived in as a political refugee. I knew little English then, much less economics, and I was impressed nonetheless. Re-reading the same was even more pleasure than the first time. I want every serious scholar to read this little beauty. The book has 14 chapters, some on topics seemingly arcane like "Socialist Affluence", and others more time-invariant, such as " Land and Labor." Not only is the book brilliant, the volume of knowledge it contains is just staggering. The author tells us about how societies began and how they have evolved over time. Scarcity compelled language development. Stresses Dr. Robinson, "The distinctive characteristic of mankind is the invention of language that conveys information about things not present and permits speculation about things not known." The apes have manners, it is language that makyth man" (p. 21). Once the existence of scarcity was understood, it was not a long leap to have communities use force (war) to protect "things present" and speculate (sic) "about things not known." Soon you have "isolated societies", and distinct races and classes. Warfare became "the most frequent origin" of "property". Foreign trade was associated with personal liberty, and the two motivated investment for profit. Profit is the focal point of capitalist expansion - Chapter 7 is just a gem!. In addition, although the depth appears to have reduced toward the last chapters, the mark of originality and authority is indelible. A witty and wide-ranging book, and a liberated author. Amavilah, Author Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies ISBN: 1600210465