In Memoriam: Robert L Heilbroner The Continuing Relevance of The Worldly

For over fifty years, Heilbroner's contributions to economics have inspired and educated students, colleagues, and lay readers perhaps more than any other single individual in the field. Thanks to Heilbroner, it cannot be said that all economists are lousy writers, neglect real world problems, or are incomprehensible to all except a small fraction residing in their ivory tow-ers. But Heilbroner did more than write clear, beautiful prose; he challenged professional and lay readers alike to dig beneath the surface to examine the deep structures of economic and social life. In his prolific career, Heilbroner covered a wide range of subjects, including the history of ideas, methodology, economic history, and economic policy. He was a scholar of capitalism, as both a dynamic economic system and a socicil regime. Heilbroner was a sharp critic of mainstream economics, but one who is respected by those who have been the object of his scrutiny. His primary task, as he himself saw it, was to ask the hard questions, questions that challenged his colleagues to rethink their assumptions and premises, to make explicit their preconceptions