The book Economics from a Human Perspective: A Journey Through the World of Thought on Wealth and Destitution, authored in Persian by Mohammad Tabibian, has been published in 360 pages by Ney Publishing. This humanistic economics perspective places welfare and justice at the center of economic analysis.
This book is an effort to move beyond a purely technical and mathematical view of economics, redefining it as a fundamental narrative of human understanding regarding welfare, justice, and the organization of collective life. This work examines the philosophical and ethical roots of economic thought from the Age of Enlightenment to contemporary schools of economic theory.
The central premise of this book is formulated in response to the foundational question of whether economics is strictly limited to numbers and graphs or if it possesses a more profound nature. The author argues that economics is, at its core, “the narrative of human understanding of welfare, justice, and the organization of collective life.”
Employing fluent prose and a historical approach, Tabibian traces the evolutionary trajectory of key economic concepts. After reviewing the philosophy of natural rights and the birth of modern economics, he introduces the reader to the formation of concepts such as the “market” and “self-interest.”
In this work, the central ideas of prominent economic thinkers are explored—ranging from Adam Smith’s theory of the “invisible hand” to Karl Marx’s radical critiques of the capitalist system. It also includes an examination of major schools of thought such as Mercantilism and the Physiocrats, alongside the developments of the Keynesian era and Milton Friedman’s monetarist school. The author’s objective is to elucidate how these very ideas and historical experiences have determined the structures of wealth, poverty, and welfare in human societies.
Tabibian emphasizes that complex economic formulas are merely analytical tools, and understanding the rationale behind the formulation of these models is of greater significance. For instance, the concept of general equilibrium, which occupies a central position in neoclassical models, is solely an analytical framework; thus, its philosophical roots concerning efficiency and resource allocation must be critically examined.
The book Economics from a Human Perspective is particularly recommended for students of economics and public policy, as well as individuals interested in understanding the history of economic thought and its intersection with political and ethical developments. This work serves as an instrument for a better comprehension of the world from the perspective of a humanistic discipline, rather than a merely technical one. It assists the reader in understanding why a particular economic theory gains prominence at a specific historical juncture and how ideologies have influenced the measurement and conceptualization of metrics such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
