A Tale of Four Cities

Today there is a sense that society is drifting toward chaos. The question is often asked, "How did we get into this mess?" A Tale of Four Cities makes the case that the causes of this malaise are not recent, that they can be traced back three centuries to two different conceptions of the growth of wealth and human flourishing.

The first set of ideas is attributable to a little-known Irish banker, Richard Cantillon, who recognized the catalyzing role played by the entrepreneur in creating we...