John Maynard Keynes
Lord Keynes is quite an inspiration I've had in
theoretical economics. Basically his thought leads me to think that
one can be very systematic about approaching macro-issue. He always
remind me of being very practical, especially with respect to time
(his famous words is "in the long run, we are all dead".)
I'm heavily influenced by his idea that in order for capitalism and
social well being to survive in general, we must manage it properly
and intelligently.
Although I'm a liberal minded person, but I'm against
laissez fair policy. I believe in freetrade but regulation and intervention
is a must. Keynes really shows me that it is important to intervene
when it is nessessary, especially during the severe recession or depression.
Of course, Keynes is not Keynesian, therefore, he didn't go all the
way to support strong government intervention in normal situation.
Perhaps most importantly, he emphasized the uncertain nature of the
economy and also its unstability and unpredictability with respect
to neoclassical optimization determinism. Besides economic, his intellectual
style very much interested me.
The fact that he is interested in many things, including
arts and sciences is great! He belongs to the Bloombury group, a very
multi-talented group of individuals that have changed the world artistic
landscape in the 20th century. He also initiated into a society called
"Apostles", which is a small circle of elite well-eqiped
with power to make a significant different in the society. That inspires
me to really start some sort of society consisting of people who are
interested in open society and provides them with the best well-rounded
education and some connections to let them realize their own dream.
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