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Basic Economics
[This is the Audiobook CASSETTE Library Edition in vinyl case.]This sound primer of basic economics tells all you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask about money, the market, prices, monopoly, competition, land, labor, capital, entrepreneurs, the Federal Reserve, and the distribution of wealth. For those desiring to educate themselves in economic principles, Carson will give you the tools to debate the warmed-over socialism presented by today's media.Carson defines and describes all of the major political-economic systems of the past thousand years. Feudalism, mercantilism, free enterprise, capitalism, welfarism, and communism are each allotted a chapter in the concluding section. The basics are all covered in clear, plain English, and Carson even manages to make economics interesting.
Audio Cassette
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 23, 2016
Just no.
It didn't take long for me to get the sense that something was off with this author when early in the book he was quoting scripture and trying marry economic theory with God's law. It very quickly became apparent that despite such a neutral title as Basic Economics, what Carson actually set out to accomplish was spreading his religious right worldview.
Here are a few of the quotes that made me lose my appetite for Carson's so-called basic economics.
On why people murder:
"Remove the sense of awe and mystery which men have before God, in whose image man was created, and who is to say that you do not at the same time remove the awe and mystery which envelops human beings and protects them from one another ordinarily. Thus murder may become widespread, as it has in our day, when a large part of the people no longer believe strongly in a transcendent god. So it is too with morality and virtue in general."
On progressive taxation and welfare:
"We may assume that those with the higher incomes are the most productive and efficient."
"But it would be a mistake to suppose that many government programs billed as aides to the poor actually do aide them. In fact, many of them have not done so. Those who are unemployed need to be finding productive employment, not extensive support in idleness."
"In sum, government theft for the redistribution of goods is an uneconomic process, it is unconstitutional for the United States government because government is limited in its taxing power to taxing for the general welfare. Not for the supposed welfare of some class, such as the poor."
It didn't take long for me to get the sense that something was off with this author when early in the book he was quoting scripture and trying marry economic theory with God's law. It very quickly became apparent that despite such a neutral title as Basic Economics, what Carson actually set out to accomplish was spreading his religious right worldview.
Here are a few of the quotes that made me lose my appetite for Carson's so-called basic economics.
On why people murder:
"Remove the sense of awe and mystery which men have before God, in whose image man was created, and who is to say that you do not at the same time remove the awe and mystery which envelops human beings and protects them from one another ordinarily. Thus murder may become widespread, as it has in our day, when a large part of the people no longer believe strongly in a transcendent god. So it is too with morality and virtue in general."
On progressive taxation and welfare:
"We may assume that those with the higher incomes are the most productive and efficient."
"But it would be a mistake to suppose that many government programs billed as aides to the poor actually do aide them. In fact, many of them have not done so. Those who are unemployed need to be finding productive employment, not extensive support in idleness."
"In sum, government theft for the redistribution of goods is an uneconomic process, it is unconstitutional for the United States government because government is limited in its taxing power to taxing for the general welfare. Not for the supposed welfare of some class, such as the poor."
December 15, 2016
A clumsy and biased attempt to merge economics with religion. I think a better title would have been "Theocratic Economics."
August 7, 2017
A little easier to understand than Sowell or Hazlitt, so I got a little more out of it. Or maybe that's just because I read this after the other two. Either way, not bad, but kind of annoying in places due to his insistence on inserting Jesus into the picture. If he'd left the Christianity stuff out, I'm sure this book would be more widely referenced than it is.
January 19, 2017
The book has a broad coverage of all major economic theories in this history; but it doesn't bring up insightful or thoughtful interpretation of them, nor does it provide a consist economics messages from the author. Maybe that is author's intent.
March 18, 2017
More of a sermon then an economic book. please leave your religion out, and focus on economics Mr. Carson.
July 20, 2022
Whelp this book basically legitimizes ownership by devine means(god says we own shit so we own stuff).
Advocates business can and rightfully should be the only thing regulating themselves. Hates unions, fait, social support programs and any form of regulations.
Since prohibiting child workers lowers the pool of available workers, so that's bad.
Social security removes workers form the job pool, since they can retire before dying. Which once more is an evil to privet business and shouldn't be allowed.
Also agrarianism is the hight of the American dream. Since we existed on our own terms, women in the kitchen, men working land. Living or dying by the role of the environmental dice. Just as God intended.
Also women entering the workforce with equal pay is bad, since it will force the pay men receive in the given field down? Since reasons?
And Monopolies are good for the market, except for governments monopolies, like the postal service.
I could go on, but basically if you ever wanted to read an economic book like it was authored by Monty Burns. This is the book for you.
If you're looking for anything with a connection to reality, look elsewhere.
Advocates business can and rightfully should be the only thing regulating themselves. Hates unions, fait, social support programs and any form of regulations.
Since prohibiting child workers lowers the pool of available workers, so that's bad.
Social security removes workers form the job pool, since they can retire before dying. Which once more is an evil to privet business and shouldn't be allowed.
Also agrarianism is the hight of the American dream. Since we existed on our own terms, women in the kitchen, men working land. Living or dying by the role of the environmental dice. Just as God intended.
Also women entering the workforce with equal pay is bad, since it will force the pay men receive in the given field down? Since reasons?
And Monopolies are good for the market, except for governments monopolies, like the postal service.
I could go on, but basically if you ever wanted to read an economic book like it was authored by Monty Burns. This is the book for you.
If you're looking for anything with a connection to reality, look elsewhere.
November 7, 2017
This book does give a good general introduction to concepts in Economics and goes over some of the most influential economists, most important types of economies, and defines a lot of the vocabulary used in economics. I wanted a review of basic economics and I got it by reading this book. However, I feel that I have to warn others that the author is definitely biased, randomly quotes the Bible throughout the book for no real reason, and on at least one occasion, decided to bring up something in history but got his facts completely wrong. I'm not saying I wouldn't recommend it, but just keep these things in mind while you're reading.
February 27, 2023
Basic Economics by Clarence B. Carson
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: COPYRIGHT: January 1, 1988; ISBN B0006ER4ZO; PUBLISHER: American Textbook Committee; 1st edition; PAGES 390; Unabridged
Digital: COPYRIGHT: No, not available--that I can find anyway.
*(This version) Audio: COPYRIGHT: 7/18/2006; ISBN: 9781483068695; PUBLISHER: Blackstone Publishing; DURATION: 16:08:25; PARTS: 18; File Size: 465675 KB; Unabridged (Overdrive LAPL) (https://www.blackstonelibrary.com/bas... )
SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it: While listening to a book on Communism, I wanted to learn more about it, and our own system, in economic terms.
What’s it about? Quite comprehensive treatise on economics.
What did I think? I felt that I learned quite a bit, so I liked it a lot. I will warn you though, if you lean toward Socialism, you may not like this book.
AUTHOR:
Clarence Buford Carson:
From Amazon:
“CLARENCE B. CARSON (1925-2003) earned a BS in education and an MA in history from Auburn University, as well as a PhD in history from Vanderbilt University. He served in the US Army, taught at the high school and college levels, and authored thirteen books and over five hundred articles.”
NARRATOR:
Christopher Hurt
From LinkedIn:
“I've been an actor and audiobook narrator almost since graduating from GWU in 1980. I worked at theaters in Washington DC and New York, mostly, with a short detour to Louisville. I narrated books for the Library of Congress Talking Books program in DC, New York and Louisville; and narrated commercial audio books for Recorded Books, Blackstone, and Audible.
I've also had crossword puzzles published in the New York Times, and worked for a short time as a crossword constructor and copy editor for Penny Press and Dell. I've been a member of the National Puzzlers' League for almost 20 years, and made a couple of appearances on Jeopardy! in 2015. And I worked as an analyst of grants information and classification specialist at the Foundation Center for 17 years.”
GENRE:
Nonfiction; Economics; Politics; History
RATING:
4
STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
1-25-2023 to 2/27/2023
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
Print: COPYRIGHT: January 1, 1988; ISBN B0006ER4ZO; PUBLISHER: American Textbook Committee; 1st edition; PAGES 390; Unabridged
Digital: COPYRIGHT: No, not available--that I can find anyway.
*(This version) Audio: COPYRIGHT: 7/18/2006; ISBN: 9781483068695; PUBLISHER: Blackstone Publishing; DURATION: 16:08:25; PARTS: 18; File Size: 465675 KB; Unabridged (Overdrive LAPL) (https://www.blackstonelibrary.com/bas... )
SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
How I picked it: While listening to a book on Communism, I wanted to learn more about it, and our own system, in economic terms.
What’s it about? Quite comprehensive treatise on economics.
What did I think? I felt that I learned quite a bit, so I liked it a lot. I will warn you though, if you lean toward Socialism, you may not like this book.
AUTHOR:
Clarence Buford Carson:
From Amazon:
“CLARENCE B. CARSON (1925-2003) earned a BS in education and an MA in history from Auburn University, as well as a PhD in history from Vanderbilt University. He served in the US Army, taught at the high school and college levels, and authored thirteen books and over five hundred articles.”
NARRATOR:
Christopher Hurt
From LinkedIn:
“I've been an actor and audiobook narrator almost since graduating from GWU in 1980. I worked at theaters in Washington DC and New York, mostly, with a short detour to Louisville. I narrated books for the Library of Congress Talking Books program in DC, New York and Louisville; and narrated commercial audio books for Recorded Books, Blackstone, and Audible.
I've also had crossword puzzles published in the New York Times, and worked for a short time as a crossword constructor and copy editor for Penny Press and Dell. I've been a member of the National Puzzlers' League for almost 20 years, and made a couple of appearances on Jeopardy! in 2015. And I worked as an analyst of grants information and classification specialist at the Foundation Center for 17 years.”
GENRE:
Nonfiction; Economics; Politics; History
RATING:
4
STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
1-25-2023 to 2/27/2023
April 2, 2019
This should be a two-star book, but since the content was good--albeit boring and badly edited--I tacked on another star. There were parts that were interesting; namely, the histories of the economies of the world's countries. Good explanations on why socialism and communism doesn't work. I also enjoyed learning about how socialism leads to communism. (I'm still not exactly sure why some people in this country choose to align themselves with a political system that Hitler desired ...)
I saw that this book has negative reviews, mainly because of its Christian perspective. But that perspective is precisely why this is a good book. Not because of its horrible editing and formatting. (Seriously, did anyone even read through this book before it was published?) People can talk about their ideas for an economic system, and why some might work and some don't work. But it's all speculation, until you match said system with the perfect plan with the One who created it all.
I saw that this book has negative reviews, mainly because of its Christian perspective. But that perspective is precisely why this is a good book. Not because of its horrible editing and formatting. (Seriously, did anyone even read through this book before it was published?) People can talk about their ideas for an economic system, and why some might work and some don't work. But it's all speculation, until you match said system with the perfect plan with the One who created it all.
August 4, 2021
Nice introduction to Economics without any math or graphs just logic. Did a good job of discussing much of economic thought over the past 300 or years. It was very much against government intervention. Had an interesting view of capitalism versus welfare-ism. Also described how soviet communism was actually by his definition an extreme version of capitalism because they valued capital over labor or land as the primary factor of production.
July 8, 2025
A fantastic principled approach to economics. Yes, the author occasionally quotes Bible verses. He's writing within the Western tradition and says from the outset that he's reasoning consistently with the Judeo-Christian framework and natural law. It's refreshing. The book doesn't hide its bias like many modern textbooks do today. And that's part of what makes it better than many supposedly "unbiased" texts out there.
Read it.
Read it.
September 22, 2017
A lot more interesting than I was expecting. I feel like I have a much better grasp of the concepts handled here than I did.
Full Disclosure: I would listen to Christopher Hurt read the phone book, and his narration is the main reason I checked this out of the library.
Full Disclosure: I would listen to Christopher Hurt read the phone book, and his narration is the main reason I checked this out of the library.
September 30, 2017
I checked this book out to learn about economics, not the Bible, so I will be returning it to try to find an actual economics book instead.
March 12, 2025
I’m gonna give this one a “no” overall. There’s a lot of fundamental material here, but it sounds like it was written in 1950 by Joseph McCarthy. It’s a big “rah rah” for God and capitalism with no tolerance for social spending, national teamwork, humanitarianism, charity, welfare, or public education. I hate the theory that making money is the end that justifies all means. He covers some of the various economic models from around the world, but basically makes fun of them without leaving space to learn a thing or two.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews