Keynes the Man

by Murray N. Rothbard

In Keynes the Man, Murray Rothbard makes use of modern research methods to construct an absolutely devastating portrait of the life and works of John Maynard Keynes. This minibiography covers Keynes's schooling, his membership in secret societies, and his political associations and sponsors — as well the intellectual shifts and dodges he employed throughout his life.To put it mildly, Keynes was not the genius liberal he is reputed to be. He was instead shifty, duplicitous, and manipulative from beginning to end, and his deliberate obfuscations of economic theory reflect those personal traits.When present-day newscasters go on about how Keynes has saved us and will continue to do so, it is good to be armed with the truth about the man who reconstructed economics as he saw fit. You will be alternately amazed and outraged that his writings have inspired government policy for so many decades.To search for Mises Institute titles, enter a keyword and LvMI (short for Ludwig von Mises Institute); e.g., Depression LvMI

Genres: Economics, History, Biography, Nonfiction, Politics

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Murray Newton Rothbard was an influential American historian, natural law theorist and economist of the Austrian School who helped define modern libertarianism. Rothbard took the Austrian School's emphasis on spontaneous order and condemnation of central planning to an individualist anarchist conclusion, which he termed "anarcho-capitalism".

In the 1970s, he assisted Charles Koch and Ed Crane to found the Cato Institute as libertarian think tank.

Reviews

[Carlos González · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and brutal. Leave it to Rothbard to demolish the Keynesian myth under 70 pages.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book is clearly biased, it seems to convey some accurate and important points about Keynes and his perspective. Especially important in my opinion is shedding light on Keynes' intellectual emphasis on a relatively small sphere, namely the discussion and debate in Cambridge.

I think for that reason alone this book is valuable for any Austrian economist who wants to understand Keynes. Even if you don't accept all of Rothbard's claims, you'll spot some interesting trends in the General Theory after reading this book which are difficult to refute.

Essentially Keynes routinely pulls out a single incomplete quote from someone he considers a quintessential "classical" economist such as J.S. Mill or Marshall or Ricardo, and treats it as the culmination of all economic thought on the subject.

After reading this book, I'd suggest The Failure of the New Economics to really see and understand the problems in the General Theory.

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pure and utter character assassination.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scathing stuff, but I'd need a better knowledge of economics and famous economists to really get this.

[Jairo Fraga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nesse pequeno livro, Murray Rothbard mostra como Keynes era conhecido por seu egotismo e confiança em sua própria originalidade, apesar de sua fama como "homem de borracha-natural" por suas frequentes mudanças de posição, conforme a conveniência do momento. Educado em ambientes elitistas (como um "apóstolo" de sociedades secretas de Cambridge), foi profundamente influenciado pela filosofia de G.E. Moore, o que culminou em uma ética que enfatizava a liberdade individual e rejeitava os valores tradicionais.

Sua carreira, inicialmente sem foco na economia, evoluiu para uma influência marcante em finanças e política monetária, com destaque para seu papel na Índia e suas propostas para um sistema monetário internacional. A "Teoria Geral" de Keynes, que nada mais é que o já refutado mercantilismo em linguagem difícil, rapidamente alcançou sucesso e infelizmente foi adotada nas políticas públicas, favorecendo abordagens intervencionistas. Rothbard lembra que ele fez espantalhos das ideias de adversários e campanhas contra antigos amigos.

Keynes rejeitava a ligação entre poupança e investimento, propondo controle governamental extenso sobre o setor privado e dividindo a população em classes econômicas. Sua postura se assemelhava ao fascismo da época, e elogiava a economia nazista, como ele mesmo prefaciou certa vez em uma edição alemã da Teoria Geral: "a teoria da produção como um todo, que é o que este livro tenciona oferecer, se adapta muito mais facilmente às condições de um estado totalitário, e não às condições de livre concorrência e uma grande medida de laissez-faire.", além de abertamente ter uma postura antissemita.

É uma pena que ele tenha conseguido tanto apoio e popularidade, certamente devido à decadência moral da sociedade e de agradar bastante os governos com a promessa de que o estado seria o grande indutor do crescimento, podendo gastar desenfreadamente.

Tempo estimado de leitura: 2 horas.

[Bhawish]

Keynes, the man in one phrase was the Presentation of "multifaceted portrait of John Maynard Keynes".

Rothbard excels at illustrating how various aspects of Keynes's experiences, including his involvement in the secret society of the Apostles, contributed to his development as a thinker and economist. This analytical approach offers readers a deeper appreciation for the complexities of Keynes's character and the environment in which he thrived.

Overall, the reading experience was delightful. However, I noticed a gradual shift towards bias as the narrative progressed. When discussing Keynes' successes, Rothbard seemed to struggle with his achievements, even suggesting that Keynes' work contributed to fascism. This perspective appeared more opinionated than objective, particularly regarding how Keynes leveraged the system to attain his success.

While the book offers a critical examination of many aspects of Keynes' life, the tone concerning his contributions feels excessively negative at times.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very biased book, and it's meant to be. Rothbard pulls no punches and makes no attempts to hide his opinions of Keynes. It casts Keynes in a very poor light. If you want glowing words about the man, Rothbard cites several biographies that paint a more positive picture of Keynes. He doesn't discourage you from reading those books, he only points out where they omit or downplay negative aspects of his character and behavior and then proceeds to shed light on those omissions.

Even if you like Keynes, it's worth reading this book to understand the parts about him that other books leave out. Just because it is biased doesn't mean it isn't factual; it is filled to the brim with citations and direct quotations from Keynes himself to support Rothbard's perspective.

[Hyperbolus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, terse biography. I would criticise the lack of detail but there isn't much more I can see being added to this and there was still clearly a good amount of research put into this book. It did change my perception of Keynes from a dimwitted but well meaning figure to a narcasistic liar who rejected morality and truth in politics. Rothbard's usual fiery prose is absent but I suppose since it is a historical book rather then an economics one it makes sense to frame it in a different tone.

7/10

[Stanley Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Review of Keynes…

A good short biography of John Maynard Keynes. Although he is known mostly for his economic ideas, he was not an economist by trade. If not for his bourgeois upbringing it is doubtful anyone would have heard of him, as it is we are still paying for his economic ideas. Highly recommended…SLT

[Benjamen Ober · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Rothbard. He is the greatest economist in U.S. history. It pains me to write anything less than 5 stars. That said, and this is subjective…the line between critical and embittered is a fine one. Rothbard despises Keynes (rightly so) and it shows through in this book.

[Mitroi Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that Rothbard here makes a pretty good presentation of who Keynes was as a person, and what factors in his personal life have influenced his views on Economics, though there is clearly a lot of bias here.

[Henrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rothbard is not a fan of Keynes, to say the least.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tiny thing that doesn't get a lot of attention, but it's relevant to understanding the mess we've found ourselves in.

[Maikel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just some background info on Keynes.

[Samuel Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Rothbard really has a way with words about this man. This is biased to prove a point of what kind of person the man behind the popular economic theory really was. I'm sure his very existence was a complete insult to Rothbard and many other respected economists. His critique of Keynes comes with such conviction. He provides personal quotes from The Man himself...and an extensive bibliography. Rothbard's got me really curious about The Man and his ridiculously short-sighted economic theories. "In the long run we're all dead"...what kind of an economist says that? His contribution to totalitarianism...Keynesianism should hold up a lot of red flags. Great quick read too. A must read for college students that are still being taught this system!

[Bob Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rothbard's writing is always clear and straightforward, and this book provides an excellent overview of the British "economist" Lord Maynard Keynes (as Rothbard points out, Keynes actually was an egotistical and power hungry manipulator with no real knowledge of economics). Due to Keynes providential circumstances and the times in which he lived, as well as his personal magnetism and ability to sway people, his influence has been mighty in the last 80 years. I still remember George HW Bush urging people to use their credit cards and spend more in order to get the economy going again. Straight Keynesian. Rothbard does a great job in dissecting the myths surrounding John Maynard Keynes.

[Constantin C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

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