General

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

AdrianHealey — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:44:08 GMT

StrangeLoop:

MacFall:
He said something along the lines of that we can predict a causal relationship will exist in the future where we have observed one in the past, but not with absolute certainty.

That's just the problem of induction.

Solved by one of those Germans he probably couldn't read, i.e. Immanual Kant.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

Lagrange multiplier — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:31:36 GMT

MacFall:
He said something along the lines of that we can predict a causal relationship will exist in the future where we have observed one in the past, but not with absolute certainty.

That's just the problem of induction.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

MacFall — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:22:13 GMT

I agree. I don't like Keynes but not every intellectual mistake can be applied to his work. The causality denial accusation is more fitting to the soviet-apologizers that are still rampant in academia.

He didn't deny causality per se, he denied causal laws. He said something along the lines of that we can predict a causal relationship will exist in the future where we have observed one in the past, but not with absolute certainty. That attitude explains some of the inconsistencies in his economic writings. But even if he didn't say it, such a belief would have to underly those inconsistencies in the first place, unless he was just making crap up that he himself didn't even believe.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

Azure — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:27:25 GMT

Keynes and causation-denial: I'm not seeing the correlation.

I agree. I don't like Keynes but not every intellectual mistake can be applied to his work. The causality denial accusation is more fitting to the soviet-apologizers that are still rampant in academia.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

Prateek Sanjay — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:59:05 GMT

Keynes denied the existence of causal laws in one of his early publishings.

Keynes was also a free trader turned protectionist turned free trader, so it's unlikely he would have still held his view from early in his life.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

MacFall — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:29:39 GMT

The site is Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal webcomic.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

MacFall — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:29:07 GMT

Keynes denied the existence of causal laws in one of his early publishings.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

Lagrange multiplier — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:51:56 GMT

Keynes and causation-denial: I'm not seeing the correlation.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

Libertyandlife — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:42:22 GMT

Link please!

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

Jackson — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:04:50 GMT

"it is better to be precisely right than precisely wrong." - Jackson, on Keynes making excuses for his seeping statements about business cycles.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

Prateek Sanjay — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:52:16 GMT

"It is better to be roughly right than precisely wrong." - Keynes, on making sweeping statements about business cycles.

Re: This made me think of Keynes.

Laotzu del Zinn — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:32:58 GMT

Haha. Im litterally laughin my a** off.

This made me think of Keynes.

MacFall — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:21:13 GMT