New Books in Economics Christopher F. Jones, "The Invention of Infinite Growth: How Economists Forgot About the Natural World" (Simon and Schuster, 2025)
Oct 17, 2025
Christopher F. Jones, an environmental historian and author of The Invention of Infinite Growth, dives into how the relentless pursuit of economic growth has overshadowed environmental concerns. He explores the historical neglect of material limits in economic thought and critiques modern GDP measurement's impact on policy. Jones highlights the dangerous illusion that wealth equates to environmental health, calling for interdisciplinary approaches to redefine prosperity. His compelling insights challenge listeners to rethink growth and advocate for sustainability and human welfare.
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From Energy History To Growth Ideas
- Jones shifted from energy history to intellectual history after seeing fossil fuels drive growth in Roots of Power.
- That material perspective prompted him to study why economists omitted energy and resources from growth models.
Growth Was Once Seen As Finite
- Economists historically treated growth as limited by land and diminishing returns, not infinite by default.
- Christopher F. Jones shows that belief in endless growth is a relatively recent invention of economic thought.
GDP Made Growth Visible And Actionable
- National income accounting and regular GDP statistics invented a new way to see and manage the economy.
- That data infrastructure turned growth into a manipulable policy target and expanded economists' governmental role.
