Jagat Kutir by Amartya Sen [Hardcover]

"Where is 'home'? Amartya Sen has many answers to this question. Dhaka, where he spent much of his childhood; Shantiniketan, where he lived with his parents and grandparents, and spent his school years; Kolkata, where he began studying economics in college and joined student movements; and Cambridge, where he arrived at the age of nineteen to conduct research at Trinity College. Each of these places has been vividly brought to life by Amartya Sen. The open environment of the school in Shantiniketan, the lively gatherings at the coffee houses during college life in Kolkata, and the deep discussions with prominent economists and philosophers in Cambridge—each of these played a significant role in expanding the horizon of his thinking. After spending several years in Europe and America, he returned to India in 1963, at the age of thirty. A precious chapter of his life had come to an end. In Jagat Kutir (The World’s Cottage), Amartya Sen’s life experiences show how they shaped his ideas on economics, philosophy, identity, community, famine, gender inequality, social choice, reasoning, and public discourse. The book reveals the joy of intellectual pursuit and the importance of friendship. Above all, the areas he emphasizes are—making our thinking as open and expansive as possible, practicing human compassion and empathy beyond national and temporal boundaries, and finding one’s own cottage in the world."