The wisdom of ants : a short history of economics

It appears that this lesson was eventually learnt by humankind as well, when it progressed to the wisdom of agriculture over hunting. The wisdom of ants that they borrowed did not end here but helped to lay the foundation of economics as a distinct discipline, this book takes the reader through the history of the four major world civilizations - European, Islamic, Indian and Chinese - pointing out how the ways in which we think of economics today were actually formed ages ago. Along the way, Shankar Jaganathan asks us to examine our own ideas on the subject and its ability to drive the world. Written I a lucid, easy style, with many historical anecdotes, The Wisdom of Ants views the business of trade and commerce through a ethical, social and political lens, allowing readers to understand the relevance of the history to their own daily lives. As the fable goes, in the summer when the ants were busy gathering food, grasshoppers lived a carefree life. Come winter, the ants lived off their store, while the grasshoppers were left starving. It appears that this lesson was eventually learnt by humans, who shifted from hunting and gathering to agriculture. The wisdom of ants that they borrowed did not end here but helped to lay the foundation of economics as a distinct discipline. This book takes the reader through the history of economics through the ages and the four major world civilisations: European, Islamic, Indian and Chinese, pointing out the ways in which we think of economics today were formed. In the process, Shankar Jaganathan asks us to question our ideas of the importance of these ideas and their ability to drive the world. Written in a lucid, easy style, with many historical examples, The Wisdom of Ants views economic ideas through an ethical, social and political lens, allowing readers to understand the relevance of this history to their own daily lives. pt. 1. The origin pt. 2. A short biography of economics pt. 3. Looking ahead.