Lionel Robbins' now famous lectures on the history of economic thought comprise one of the greatest accounts since World War II of the evolution of economic ideas. This volume represents the first time those lectures have been published. Lord Robbins (1898-1984) was a remarkably accomplished thinker, writer, and public figure. He made important contributions to economic theory, methodology, and policy analysis, directed the economic section of Winston Churchill's War Cabinet, and served as chairman of the ??i??Financial Times??i??. As a historian of economic ideas, he ranks with Joseph Schumpeter and Jacob Viner as one of the foremost scholars of the century. These lectures, delivered at the London School of Economics between 1979 and 1981 and tape-recorded by Robbins' grandson, display his mastery of the intellectual history of economics, his infectious enthusiasm for the subject, and his eloquence and incisive wit. They cover a broad chronological range, beginning with Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas, focusing extensively on Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus and the classicals, and finishing with a discussion of moderns and marginalists from Marx to Alfred Marshall. Robbins takes a varied and inclusive approach to intellectual history. As he says in his first lecture: ??i??I shall go my own sweet way - sometimes talk about doctrine, sometimes talk about persons, sometimes talk about periods??i??i??'. The lectures are united by Robbins' conviction that it is impossible to understand adequately contemporary institutions and social sciences without understanding the ideas behind their development. Authoritative yet accessible, combining the immediacy of the spoken word with Robbins' exceptional talent for clear, well-organized exposition, this volume will be welcomed by anyone interested in the intellectual origins of the modern world.

莱昂内尔·罗宾斯(1896-1997),英国著名经济学家和经济思想史家.1929-1961年执教于英国伦敦经济学院.在第二次世界大战期间担任英国战时内阁经济部主任,1961-1979年任金融时报社社长.罗宾斯还担任过英国科学院.英国国家美术馆.皇家经济学会.皇家歌剧院发表一系列公职或荣誉职位.他的最著名的著作是1932年发表的《论经济科学的性质和意义》.罗宾斯在该书中提出,经济学应是关于个人在资源稀缺条件下进行合理选择的研究,这一观点已被广泛承认为西方经济学的基本定义.罗宾斯在经济思想史方面的著名著作,除了本书以外,还有《英国古典政治经济学经济政策理论》(1952),《托伦斯和古典经济学的演变》(1958),《经济思想史中的经济发展理论》(1968)等.此外,罗宾斯还发表了许多关子现实经济政策和高等教育问题的论著和研究报告。