This seminar covers the history and stakes of debates over the meaning, virtues, and vices of capitalism and the free market. It proceeds broadly in two veins. First, students will read canonical modern texts debating the market economy and related issues, including commerce, luxury, liberalism, and equality. Alongside these historical texts, students will read more recent attempts of philosophers, economists, and historians to offer theoretical accounts of the origins and evolution of the capitalist economy, with particular attention to developments following the second world war.
