John Tippett (Part I) – A philosopher’s take on economics

John Tippett has been a student and teacher of economics and philosophy for over 50 years.  His book, A Philosopher’s Take on Economics, distils the wisdom he has gathered in that time and weaves them together in a startlingly original way. 

In the book he argues that economics has profoundly lost its way. Not only has it lost its purpose, but it’s forgotten that it should actually have one. And whilst economics started with philosophy at its heart, it has ignored its roots and so has cultivated a strange, dismal philosophy that serves only the few. John’s approach is as effective as it is simple – he takes us back to first principles. He argues that economics and the “economy” is meant to serve all of us. Specifically, its actual role is to offer everyone the practical possibility to live creative, happy lives. 

To celebrate the launch of the second edition of his book, we are releasing two podcasts.  In the first one, John explains how he came to both economics and philosophy and discovered his calling for helping others. He explains how he came to the realisation that economics and philosophy are actually inseparable if you are wish to apply them in any practical, positive way. 

In the second podcast, we start with why economics is so flawed and why doesn’t it get better.  We then look at how you can apply the practical philosophy at the heart of true economics. We finish with what we can do to actually “build back better” for all of us, as the global economy recovers from lockdown.