Grand Pursuit

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The author of the bestselling *A Beautiful Mind* takes readers on a journey through the transformative power of economics, exploring how it has reshaped the lives of every individual. This sweeping narrative delves into modern history, highlighting the influential figures who have significantly impacted humanity. It begins with Charles Dickens and Henry Mayhew, who documented the plight of the impoverished in mid-nineteenth-century London, a city of immense wealth. The author recounts the efforts of thinkers like Marx, Engels, Alfred Marshall, and others who sought to implement their insights, leading to revolutionary changes worldwide. From John Maynard Keynes to Schumpeter and Hayek, along with influential economists like Joan Robinson, Paul Samuelson, and Milton Friedman, the narrative illustrates how their ideas transformed societies, extending from London to developed nations and beyond. Through personal crises, world wars, and economic turmoil, these individuals turned the dismal science of economics into a tool for overcoming humanity's historical struggles with poverty and early death. This remarkable story of resilience and innovation, unimaginable just two centuries ago, is presented in a compelling and emotional narrative that celebrates the triumph of human agency over adversity.