At the risk of going to times forgotten in a 'pre 1936' debate, I would just
like to volunteer that at the start of the 17th century, which (in my
opinion) saw the start of thinking about an economy as a defined entity, the
arguments were very much between those in favour of, and those opposed to
Laissez Faire policies.

Originally England, and her economic advisors, were staunchly against free
trade, and for regulation, supported by the trade guilds, and this was only
challenged (anonymously at first) during the middle of the 17th century. For
example, the exportation of gold for foreign investment, was illegal for a
long while, and is only contested by Thomas Mun in is 1664 book which was
published in 1696.

The sentiments which later authors would take for granted or rely on a
deity for, were discussed and formed in this century, and it was a very non
laissez-faire affair, at least in the very beginning.

Just my two cents.

Benjamin H. Mitra-Kahn





On 1/27/07, John Medaille <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> ----------------- HES POSTING -----------------
> Mason Gaffney wrote:
> >         Krugman, wearing his journalist hat, was obviously
> oversimplifying a
> >complex business.
>
> Of course these questions are relative and, being
> generalizations, admit of great exceptions. But
> by the standards of  the academic, corporate, and
> bureaucratic elites of the year1900, we are all
> Keynesians now; by the standards of the year
> 2000, they were all laissez-faire then.
>
> In 1884, Herbert Spencer in "Man vs. The State"
> railed against government interference in the
> market. Some of the targets of his scorn were the
> Chimney-Sweeper's Act, to prevent the torture and
> eventual death of children set to sweep too
> narrow slots; the Contagious Diseases Act, the
> Public Libraries Act giving local powers "by
> which a majority can tax a minority for their
> books." And so forth, covering a range of
> activities and powers that few today would find remarkable or
> objectionable.
>
>
> John C. Medaille
> ----------------- FOOTER TO HES POSTING -----------------
> [log in to unmask]
> http://eh.net/mailman/listinfo/hes
>