Originally published as Le monde est clos et le desir infini by Albin Michel, Paris, France, and is copyright © Éditions Albin Michel--Paris 2015.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part I. The origin of growth. The human species ; Exodus ; November 13, 2026 ; The invention of money ; The theft of history ; From the closed world to the infinite universe -- Part II. The future, the future! The singularity is near ; Whither human labor? ; Vanishing growth: ; Marx in Hollywood ; Capital at the dawn of the twenty-first century ; De collapsus novum -- Part III. Rethinking progress. The (new) great transformation ; Economics and culture ; The elusive quest of happiness ; The double bind of work and autonomy ; Social endogamy.

"Leading economist Daniel Cohen provides a whirlwind tour of the history of economic growth, from the early days of civilization to modern times, underscoring what is so unsettling today. The new digital economy is establishing a "zero-cost" production model, inexpensive software is taking over basic tasks, and years of exploiting the natural world have begun to backfire with deadly consequences. Working hard no longer guarantees social inclusion or income. Drawing on economics, anthropology, and psychology, and thinkers ranging from Rousseau to Keynes and Easterlin, Cohen examines how a future less dependent on material gain might be considered and, how, in a culture of competition, individual desires might be better attuned to the greater needs of society."--Publisher's description.