Portable Wisdom

Author: Yanis Varoufakis

Brief Info: Greek economist, academic, philosopher and politician

Years Lived: 1961-

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Quotations


Capitalism as a Market Society

Readers may be surprised by the absence of any mention of ‘capital’ or ‘capitalism’ in the book. I chose to leave out such words not because there is anything wrong with them but because, loaded as they are with heavy baggage, they get in the way of illuminating the essence of things. So, instead of speaking about capitalism, I use the term ‘market society.’ Instead of ‘capital,’ you will find more normal words like ‘machinery’ and ‘produced means of production.’ Why use jargon if we can avoid it?

From the book Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works -- and How It Fails

— 08 May 2018


The economy is too important to leave to the economists

This book grew out of my Greek publisher’s invitation, back in 2013, to talk directly to young people about the economy. My reason for writing it was the conviction that the economy is too important to leave to the economists.

From the book Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works -- and How It Fails

— 08 May 2018


The Opposite of Popularizing Economics

This is why this book is my attempt to do the opposite of popularizing economics: if it succeeds, it should incite its readers to take the economy into their own hands and make them realize that to understand the economy they also have to understand why the self-appointed experts on the economy, the economists, are almost always wrong. Ensuring that everyone is allowed to talk authoritatively about the economy is a prerequisite for a good society and a precondition for an authentic democracy. The economy’s ups and downs determine our lives; its forces make a mockery of our democracies; its tentacles reach deep into our souls, where they shape our hopes and aspirations. If we defer to the experts on the economy, we effectively hand them all decisions that matter.

From the book Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works -- and How It Fails

— May 8, 2018


Seeking ways to disagree with myself

It has allowed me to return to a long-lost self who once wrote in peace and quiet … doing what I have always loved: finding ways to disagree with myself in order to discover what my true thoughts are.

From the book Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works -- and How It Fails

— 08 May 2018

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