Anti-Semitism of Certain Famous Economists

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Mon Feb 19 10:11:23 PST 2001


JayHecht at aol.com wrote:


>I found the quotes from Keynes a little more credible. But I'm not sure how
>far Reder can push his claims. Was Keynes a Nazi? Of course not. Was his
>insights tainted by his anti-semitism? I don't think so. Query most
>assimilated Jews who went to places like Cambridge, Oxford, or even Cornell
>(like my dad) in the 1940s and other universities, and anti-semitism was
>pretty much something you had to deal with.
>
>I found the article interesting, but I'm not sure, at the end of day, what we
>gain from knowing that "famous" economists are prejudiced assholes.

Keynes's anti-Semitic remarks - the ones I know of, at least - aren't all that exceptional for his class and time, but they are a reminder of what an elitist he was, and that permeates his political economy. His ideal society would be run by People Like Him - selfless, wise aristocrats, above both the vulgar pressures of commerce and the even more vulgar habits of the rabble.

Doug



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