The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics by Arthur Mee et al.

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The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics by Arthur Mee et al.

(11 User reviews) 2428

By Anastasia Zhang Posted on Jan 17, 2026

In Category - Medieval Literature

Authors: Published By :

Book Language: English

Hey, I just finished this old book I found called 'The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics,' and it’s surprisingly fascinating. It’s not a story in the usual sense—there’s no single plot or character. Instead, it’s a collection of writings from some of the smartest (and sometimes most stubborn) people who ever lived. Think of it as a time capsule of big ideas. The main 'conflict' is the clash of these ideas themselves. You have philosophers like Plato and Kant wrestling with questions about truth and how to live a good life, right next to economists like Adam Smith and Karl Marx arguing about how societies should create and share wealth. It’s the ultimate intellectual showdown, curated from history. It’s a bit like watching a brilliant, centuries-long debate where everyone is trying to figure out the rules of the game—both for our inner lives and our outer world. If you’ve ever wondered where our modern ideas about government, money, or morality even came from, this book is a direct line to the source.

File: The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14 — Philosophy and Economics by Arthur Mee et al.

Let's be clear: this isn't a novel. 'The World's Greatest Books — Volume 14' is a curated anthology, part of an early 20th-century series meant to bring classic works to a wider audience. Edited by Arthur Mee and others, this volume pulls together key writings from giants in philosophy and economics.

The Story

The 'story' here is the story of human thought. The book presents a sequence of excerpts and summaries from foundational texts. You might start with ancient Greek philosophers pondering virtue and justice, then jump forward to Enlightenment thinkers questioning authority and reason. The economics section does the same, tracing a line from early theories of trade and value to the monumental, opposing systems of capitalism and communism. There's no narrator guiding you; you're placed directly in the room with history's greatest minds as they lay out their arguments.

Why You Should Read It

I loved this book because it's a fantastic shortcut. Trying to read all these original works would take a lifetime. This volume gives you the core ideas in a digestible format. It's humbling and exciting to see how old some of our current debates really are. Reading Adam Smith's thoughts on the free market right before Karl Marx's critique of it is incredibly powerful—you see the genesis of a conversation that's still defining politics today. It’s not always easy reading, but the moments of clarity, where a centuries-old idea suddenly explains something in your own life, are worth it.

Final Verdict

This is a book for the curious non-expert. It's perfect for anyone who feels like they missed the 'big ideas' in school and wants a friendly, structured introduction. It's great for readers who enjoy history, current events, or just figuring out why the world works the way it does. If you prefer fast-paced fiction, this might feel slow. But if you've ever asked 'how did we get here?' about society, money, or our own beliefs, this book offers some of the most important answers ever put to paper.