Comments on: Weekend Quiz

By: Jacques Chester

Jacques Chester — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:33:29 +0000

This sounds like a Bill Joy sort of remark. Or at least how he approached the Java programming language. Indeed it could have been the mantra of all “whip and bondage” language designers since Dijkstra.

But somehow I doubt Nick reads Bill Joy :)

By: Sinclair Davidson

Sinclair Davidson — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 05:03:43 +0000

You have the University of Chicago Press edition and I have the Routledge edition (at home and the other at work). I read somewhere that all editions of Keynes’ General Theory have the same pagination, a very sensible notion for classic works such as your mystery person.

Geoff – you should have a serious guess.

By: Nicholas Gruen

Nicholas Gruen — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 04:33:36 +0000

p. 66 in the copy I’ve got!

By: Sinclair Davidson

Sinclair Davidson — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 04:08:08 +0000

I have read the book that has the quote (pg 59), also the 1958 article in Ethics. I haven’t read his work on theoretical psychology.

By: Nicholas Gruen

Nicholas Gruen — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 03:56:22 +0000

Sinclair,

I suspect you have read the book – for reasons alluded to by Geoff.

By: Geoff Honnor

Geoff Honnor — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 03:30:20 +0000

I suspect, looking at the Server’s choice of links, the obvious “not who’d you’d expect” tone of your post and the veneration that is accorded to them in the immediate blogospherical vicinity – Popper or Hayek or Friedman.

By: Sinclair Davidson

Sinclair Davidson — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 03:02:51 +0000

I would have thought so. How individuals restrict their choices is very interesting and would form a better basis for behavioural economics than the sort of irrtionality type arguments we currently see. Unfortunately I haven’t yet read the mystery persons book in this area.

By: Nicholas Gruen

Nicholas Gruen — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 02:45:36 +0000

And it’s not Kissenger. Ken, I hadn’t even thought of Google as it’s deep in a book that’s not on the net. But you’re right – the quote turns up in secondary literature.

By: Nicholas Gruen

Nicholas Gruen — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 02:43:37 +0000

Sinclair,

‘We’ is intended in the singular on my reading.

By: The Worst of Perth

The Worst of Perth — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 01:57:53 +0000

OK, a serious guess. Kissinger?

By: Sinclair Davidson

Sinclair Davidson — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 01:57:17 +0000

Is he saying ‘we’ the individuals or ‘we’ the comunity?

By: Ken Parish

Ken Parish — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 01:46:50 +0000

I cheated and used Google, so I’ll disqualify myself.

By: Nicholas Gruen

Nicholas Gruen — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:56:53 +0000

Nope

By: The Worst of Perth

The Worst of Perth — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:07:10 +0000

Sounds too forward thinking for Hitler. How about Peter Costello?