And, so we wind down another term, and I wonder what exactly is on your mind. So, for starters, let’s start with Backhouse & Bateman’s characterization of Keynes. What does Keynes see as capitalism’s defect? What does it “Say” about how his thinking diverges from the status quo at the time?
Now, once we have the defect, is that defect the same type of difficulties that Tyler Cowen and Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee are talking about? Or, put this another way, do Cowen and Byrnjolfsson & McAfee identify the same fundamental defect in the capitalist system that Keynes did?
Once we establish that, let’s get at how Keynes proposed to deal with capitalism’s basic defect. What was his stance in The General Theory? (Digression: How did Keynes view of this change over time? What is the basic thesis proffered up by Bateman and Backhouse?). Next, is this way of addressing that defect likely to be of use in addressing the types of problems that worry these other authors?
On that note, if you haven’t done so already, I suggest that you read one of Paul Krugman’s greatest columns ever, “The Accidental Theorist.” I love this column and use it often. I wish I would have suggested it when we read Brynjolfsson and McAfee. What does this article imply about the troubles that Cowen and Byrnjolfsson talk about? What does it suggest about Keynesian economics?