A Culture of Growth

The Origins of the Modern Economy
From Nobel Prizewinning economist Joel Mokyr, a revealing look at why Enlightenment culture sparked the Industrial Revolution.

From Nobel Prizewinning economist Joel Mokyr, a revealing look at why Enlightenment culture sparked the Industrial Revolution

During the late eighteenth century, innovations in Europe triggered the Industrial Revolution and the sustained economic progress that spread across the globe. While much has been made of the details of the Industrial Revolution, what remains a mystery is why it took place at all. Why did this revolution begin in the West and not elsewhere, and why did it continue, leading to today’s unprecedented prosperity? In this groundbreaking book, celebrated economic historian Joel Mokyr argues that a culture of growth specific to early modern Europe and the European Enlightenment laid the foundations for the scientific advances and pioneer