The Civilization of Commerce: Invisible Hands and the Pursuit of Happiness

One of humanity’s greatest achievements is the market economy. Since the late-eighteenth century, it has radically reduced poverty and created opportunities for millions who might otherwise have been condemned to lives of misery. Yet despite these accomplishments, markets have long been derided as characterized by profound injustices and a stultifying materialism that impoverishes the human soul.

But markets are much more than engines of wealth. In The Civilization of Commerce, prize-winning...