Economics Meets War and Peace

Tolstoy’s Implicit Social Theory

By H. Geoffrey Brennan, A.M.C. Waterman

Some critics hold that War and Peace (1867) is too disjointed to be considered a true literary masterpiece, but it is precisely its digressions into the philosophy of history that lift Tolstoy’s epic novel to the highest realms of contemplative discourse. Whereas sticklers for a straightforward narrative style may blame the side discussions about psychology and “Providence” for pulling readers out of the story, others laud these asides for adding layers of richness and meaning to Tolstoy’s tale of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.

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H. Geoffrey Brennan
(1944–2022) was a professor of political science at Duke University and professor of philosophy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the Australian National University.
A.M.C. Waterman
is a retired fellow at St. John’s College, Winnipeg and professor emeritus of economics at the University of Manitoba, Canada.