Political Theory Project

Ms. McCloskey is the Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication at the University of Illinois. Trained as an Economist at Harvard, she has written 14 books and published numerous articles on economic theory, economic history, philosophy, rhetoric, feminism, ethics, and law. For the Odyssey Lecture she will be discussing her latest book, "Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can't Explain the Modern World," (University of Chicago Press, 2010).

In her book Bourgeois Dignity Ms. McCloskey contends our modern world was not the product of new markets and innovations, but rather the result of shifting opinions about them. The wealth of nations did not grow so dramatically because of economic factors: it grew because rhetoric about markets and free enterprise finally became enthusiastic and encouraging of their inherent dignity.

Ms. McCloskey will also do a class presentation for the PTP's course: "Prosperity: The Ethics and Economics of Wealth Creation." Students in the "Prosperity" class will be reading her book and will have the opportunity to interact with her directly.

The PTP's Odyssey Lecture Series was launched in 2009. Odyssey Lectures feature a single speaker who will take students on an extended adventure over some new and unexpected intellectual terrain. Past speakers include Amity Shlaes and Dambisa Moyo.