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A History of Economics by John Kenneth Galbriath
Reviews

From: NO
Category: Books
Date: 07 February 2005

Review

On first impressions this writer is a pompous old man, stuffy and long winded, he likes the sound of his own voice too much. May be this is because he is a professor and has become accustomed to hearing it. In a way one must pity professors for though they may start out keen for knowledge, the years go by and with each new year comes a new influx of students with ears pricked conscientiously note taking and with each new year the students become younger than they, and with each new year they search less for whatever they might be looking, and with each new year they are repeating the same lectures until the students are very young and they are very old and then they are stranded on a mountain top where only one voice can be heard, and no one can reach them, because it's thirsty work climbing the hill and there is no water at the top and they are truly stuck and can not even tell what has happened because they can’t hear any one else’s voice and then they must write because writing is a more permanent mark on the world because eventually even young students become old and die and will not carry on saying what a good teacher they were. And lo then I must read a professor’s book and conclude that it is well written but not the “lively” history that he intends, and any digression from the track becomes a self-aggrandising comment, or some diplomatic name dropping. If I knew enough about the academic world of economics I would perhaps understand the relevance of certain “friends” being mentioned, but I do not. I am ignorant. But at least they, unlike the majority, are seeking something, living something, and perhaps we should not ask what it is that they search for, though certain philosophies/cults and psychological theories would suggest it was all misplaced, but accept that every one must serve something it may be the devil or it may be a god, but you’ve got to serve something, serve something.

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