General

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Saan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:51:51 GMT

K.C. Farmer:
That would not preclude followers of Rothbard from establishing a cult based on his writings.

I never said that.

K.C. Farmer:

You just don't see much of this because if you read and follow his writings, you just don't go down that path. Rand, on the other hand, has several groups you may as well call cults.

There has been enough time and work built from the knowledge of Mises that you don't see as much hero worship. Rothbard, being more recent and a Nobel Prize Winner, would be a more likely candidate, but his entire life could be described as anti-cult. He was just as much a critic of Menger and Mises as he was a follower.

Which makes this your position, not mine.

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

K.C. Farmer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:25:12 GMT

Saan:
A cult is always right. Reality is molded to fit with dogma. Rothbard was pretty good at avoiding this problem. Not perfect, but his epistemology does not suffer from false assumptions only incomplete knowledge. The empirical equivalent would be Galileo>Newton>Einstein>Hawking. Rothbard built off of Menger and Mises. This does not imply a cult.

That would not preclude followers of Rothbard from establishing a cult based on his writings. You just don't see much of this because if you read and follow his writings, you just don't go down that path. Rand, on the other hand, has several groups you may as well call cults.

There has been enough time and work built from the knowledge of Mises that you don't see as much hero worship. Rothbard, being more recent and a Nobel Prize Winner, would be a more likely candidate, but his entire life could be described as anti-cult. He was just as much a critic of Menger and Mises as he was a follower.

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Saan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:19:20 GMT

Well then. It is quite funny. I laughed hard

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

K.C. Farmer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:16:38 GMT

I speak in jest.

A cult of An-Cap is an oxymoron, although I don't doubt there are folks who buy into everything Rothbard has to say.

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Saan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:12:06 GMT

K.C. Farmer:

Jon Irenicus:

The Cult of Rothbard - yes, and with a NAP to boot.

Which cult might this be?

The Cult of An-Cap, of course. I'm sure Rothbard would be the first to attack any cult in his own name, but then that's the spirit the cult would most admire.

In general, there is far less deification of economists associated with the Austrian School than the others, but it's hard to ignore men who did so much for the cause. Honor them, yes.

A cult is always right. Reality is molded to fit with dogma. Rothbard was pretty good at avoiding this problem. Not perfect, but his epistemology does not suffer from false assumptions only incomplete knowledge. The empirical equivalent would be Galileo>Newton>Einstein>Hawking. Rothbard built off of Menger and Mises. This does not imply a cult.

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Jon Irenicus — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:59:34 GMT

I reiterate, which cult?

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

K.C. Farmer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:56:35 GMT

Jon Irenicus:

The Cult of Rothbard - yes, and with a NAP to boot.

Which cult might this be?

The Cult of An-Cap, of course. I'm sure Rothbard would be the first to attack any cult in his own name, but then that's the spirit the cult would most admire.

In general, there is far less deification of economists associated with the Austrian School than the others, but it's hard to ignore men who did so much for the cause. Honor them, yes.

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Saan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:44:33 GMT

bestimmt

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Modus Tollens — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:39:15 GMT

Rule 1:
Every school of thought to which one does not belong is a dangerous cult.

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Michael J Green — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:38:33 GMT

Deification is up to each individual student. Being a student of Ayn Rand does not necessarily mean one deifies her, even if there is a high correlation between those who like Rand and those who worship her. I don't doubt that some Austrian/ancaps deify Rothbard, but I don't believe I do, and I would not like to be accused of it.

EDIT: Oh, and of course, the deification of economists is not a good thing. Deification of anyone or anything is not a good thing.

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Jon Irenicus — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:33:19 GMT

The Cult of Rothbard - yes, and with a NAP to boot.

Which cult might this be?

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

filc — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:28:41 GMT

When you argue that animal spirits bring market failure can you be anything other then a diety? I mean animal spirits have nothing to do with economics and quiet frankly I think they are getting a bit offended that everyone seems to blame everything on them!

Forgive me if I had somewhat of a sarcastic tone!

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

K.C. Farmer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:17:38 GMT

The Cult of Keynes - yes, especially with this resurgence of dunderheads

The Cult of Ayn Rand - definitely yes

The Cult of von Mises - perhaps, but there is no blind obedience required and the man was hardly deified

The Cult of Rothbard - yes, and with a NAP to boot.

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Jon Irenicus — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:01:41 GMT

Compared to other schools, there is a big deal of healthy internal criticism and revision inside Austrianism (without it thereby fragmenting into 101 different doctrines) and though Austrians revere the school's founders deify them they do not.

Re: Is deification of economists a good thing?

Saan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:53:04 GMT

AndrewR:
As for the Austrian School, we certainly are guilty of putting Mises, Menger, Rothbard et al on pedestals. They were afterall brilliant thinkers and deserve the appropriate recognition, but I do think we're also capable of accepting their inconsistencies, errors, flaws and so on.

I wouldn't say deify though.