I see John Kenneth Galbraith is dead

[Ixion]

A pity.R I P. He spoke remarkable sense for a practitioner of the dismal science.

[paturoa]

who the f is ...

[rasty]

He was either to blame for all our troubles or the saviour of the capitalist system. It depends who was giving the Economic lecture.

[Hitcher]

who the f is ...

John Kenneth Galbraith, OC , Ph.D , LL.D (October 15, 1908 – April 29, 2006) was one of the most influential American economists of the twentieth-century, a Keynesian, and an institutionalist, with progressive values and a gift for writing accessible, popular books on economic topics in which he takes delight in describing ways in which economic theory does not always mesh with real life. The Canadian-born author of four dozen books and over one thousand articles was on the faculty of Harvard University from 1948 to 1975 (after which, he remained professor emeritus for life). His book, The Affluent Society (1958), which became a bestseller, outlines how post-World War II America was becoming wealthy in the private sector but remained poor in the public sector, lacking social and physical infrastructure, and perpetuating income disparities. Galbraith served in the administrations of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson. In 1961, Kennedy appointed him ambassador to India, where he served until 1963.

Although he was a former president of the American Economic Association, Galbraith was considered something of an iconoclast by many economists because he valued non-technical political economy as opposed to relying solely on mathematical modeling. His work included several books on economic topics (some of which were bestsellers in the late 1950s and during the 1960s) in which he described ways in which economic theory did not always mesh with real life.

[Scorpygirl]

John Kenneth Galbraith, OC , Ph.D , LL.D (October 15, 1908 – April 29, 2006) .

Wow... I won't bother buying Encarta anymore... just ask Hitcher... Cheaper eh!!!!!!

[paturoa]

found a pic of him, not sure if just posing or his bike

[Hitcher]

Another connection between J K Galbraith and motorcycles, albeit tenuous, may be his interest in a new form of economics based upon treating Value as a form of “Quality”, originally envisioned by Robert Pirsig (author of Zen, and the art of motorcycle maintenance).

Taking Pirsig’s approach, Capital may be viewed as “Static” Value and Money as “Dynamic” Value.

“Transactions” are the “events” at which individuals (Subjects) interact with each other or with Capital (both as Objects) to create forms of Value and at which “Value judgments” are made based upon a “Value Unit”.

[limbimtimwim]

Heard the name before. That sounds interesting.

He's on my 'might-be-non-fiction' reading list.

[sels1]

Zen, and the art of motorcycle maintenance[/I]).

And dont rush to your bookstore for this one folks, unless you want a headache.....



EDIT - but actually there was a good line in it somewhere - something about being in a car you look out at the scenery, but on a bike you are IN the scenery

[mini_me]

Galbraith, isnt that the guy that started the pub?

>_<
m/m