Book review: Homo Economicus: the (lost) prophet of modern times by Daniel Cohen

In this new book, economist Daniel Cohen looks to trace our current malaise back to the rise of homo economicus: for the last 200 years, the modern world has defined happiness in terms of material gain. Homo economicus has cast aside its rivals, homo ethicus and homo empathicus, and spread its neo–Darwinian logic far and wide. Drawing on a rich array of examples, Cohen explores the new digital and genetic revolutions and examines the limitations of homo economicus in our rapidly transforming world. Daniel Sage finds that some chapters veer off into unusual avenues that detract from the main argument, but overall the book provides a strong overview of the main critiques against this model of human behaviour and motivation.