You mean, are libertarians libertines? Or do they only eat libertines? On Tue, May 7, 2013 at 12:14 PM, Eugene Coyle <[email protected]> wrote:
> So does this mean your view is that that Libertarians are into Bondage and > S & M? > > Gene > > > On May 7, 2013, at 11:25 AM, David Shemano wrote: > > > I am far removed from academia, but isn't LGBT studies an accepted part > of the leftish canon? And isn't it inherent to the relevance of such > studies that the fact that one is LGBT is in turn relevant to what one > writes or thinks regarding literature, politics, etc.? So if so, would it > not be consistent with LGBT studies to try and connect Keynes' economic > thinking to his homosexuality? > > > > David Shemano > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim Devine > > Sent: Tuesday, May 07, 2013 10:55 AM > > To: Pen-l > > Subject: [Pen-l] the Ferguson files > > > > from SLATE: > > Niall Ferguson in 1995: Keynes' Homosexuality Caused His Views on the > Treaty of Versailles > > > > By Matthew Yglesias > > > > Posted Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at 10:44 AM > > > > Niall Ferguson has already apologized for saying over the weekend that > John Maynard Keynes' homosexuality was at the root of his views on fiscal > policy, but Brad DeLong has recovered a remarkable 1995 Spectator article > in which Ferguson alleges that Keynes' views on the Treaty of Versailles > were also caused by his homosexuality. In this case, Ferguson's view is > less that Keynes had a distinctive gay outlook on the issue, and more that > a gay crush on a German representative to the conference led him to adopt > pro-German and pro-inflation opinions. > > > > The article's conclusion: > > > >>> From 1919 onwards, for reasons which owed as much to emotion as > economic logic, he had repeatedly encouraged the Germans in their > resistance to Allied demands. He had heard and echoed their arguments at > Versailles, predicting currency depreciation, the dumping of German exports > and the westward march of Bolshevism as consequences of the treaty. He had > shared their dismay at the reparations total set in 1921, and predicted > German default from the outset. Even when he began to suspect that his > friends were exaggerating their fiscal difficulties, this only inclined him > to egg them on to a more confrontational strategy. Only when this ended in > the complete collapse of the currency did Keynes distance himself. > > > >>> All this sheds revealing light on Keynes's later views on inflation. > >>> Those who see Keynesianism as, at root, an inflationary doctrine will > >>> not perhaps be surprised; just as those familiar with Bloomsbury will > >>> appreciate why Keynes fell so hard for the representative of an enemy > >>> power. Only those-like Robert Skidelsky-who seek to rescue his > >>> reputation as a monetary theorist may find Keynes's conduct less easy > >>> to account for. << > > > > I have not read The Economic Consequences of the Peace, but am somewhat > familiar with the general debates at the time. My view of the situation is > that the whole question of an "enemy power" is actually the crux of the > dispute here. Keynes, in keeping with general liberal sentiments at the > time and vindicated by history, took the view that it was foolish for > France and Britain to try to treat Germany as an enemy-to-be-crushed rather > than a partner-to-be-rehabilitated. The only possible consequence of > crushing the German economy would be to compel the Germans to overthrow the > treaty and thus start a new war. > > This is roughly what eventually happened, and obviously in the > late-1940s the Western allies took a different approach, which paid off. I > don't know if any key Truman administration advisors were seduced by sexy > German conference representatives. Perhaps someday we'll learn that was the > real story of the Marshall Plan, in which case I think we'd have to be > thankful for the emergence of a sentiment that could transcend petty > nationalism. > > > > -- > > Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own > way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. > > _______________________________________________ > > pen-l mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > > _______________________________________________ > > pen-l mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Cheers, Tom Walker (Sandwichman)
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