ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews places Joseph Schumpeter and his theories of the entrepreneur within this relevant cultural perspective. Beyond reflecting the thinking of a few like-minded contemporaries, however, Schumpeter’s work shows important similarities to the thought of the earlier Romantic era and a range of other perspectives that were influential during the 19th and early 20th century in Europe as well as the United States. The praise directed toward Muhammad, the founder of Islam, provides a typical example of Thomas Carlyle’s heroic vision. Carlyle celebrated heroes and great men who, he believed, possess a tendency toward greatness and achievement. In the 19th century, some intellectuals viewed heroic individuals as innate and unique. Elbert Hubbard’s Rowan quickly emerged as an archetype of the heroic achiever who closely resembles the type of individuals who Schumpeter was soon to link with entrepreneurship. Schumpeter’s contributions regarding entrepreneurship can be viewed the same way.
