An amusing post by Greg Ransom on Taking Hayek Seriously. Based on the story of Hayek’s visit to Australia in 1976 as told by Ron Kitching with some more background on Catallaxy.
In brief, Ron Kitching and the late Roger Randerson organised financial backing for a month-long tour Down Under in between Hayek’s visits to Japan and New Zealand. They spent a short time outback on Kitching’s cattle farm where Hayek made friends with a massive bull named Inflation (because he would not stop growing). Mrs Kitching would not have the elderly (76 yo) Hayek photographed “on top of Inflation” so they settled for the next best thing.
Just as well he didn’t visit a dairy farm and try to get close to a Jersey bull. They are not very big but they are mean! We were told never on any account take a short cut through the bull paddock. Wik has the story. “Bulls are also small, ranging from 1200 to 1800 pounds (540 to 820 kg), and are notoriously very aggressive.”
Interesting footnote: “Due to the small size, docile and inquisitive character and attractive features of the Jersey cow, small herds were imported into England by aristocratic landowners as adornment for aestheticly landscaped parks.”
So… no “mounting inflation” then?
There could be a caption competition. “So where did I leave my copy of the General Theory?”