Dear list members,

I am writing to thank you who responded to my query on and off the list. Your comments, links to websites, and
support have been very useful.

Best wishes,

Altug Yalcintas, Ankara University


> I have been much preoccupied recently with a study of how Karl Popper might
> be charged with creating a false version of the ancient political economy
> which conforms with the ideology of Hayek, whilst Moses Finley might at
> least equally be charged with distorting the ancient political economy to
> favour a fundamental position adopted by Keynes.
>
> Very difficult ethical matters of profound sorts of bias, but matters I feel
> ought to take precedence over say academic plagiarism in a general overview
> of ethics in an undergrad course.
>
> Apparently like John Womack, my thoughts turned to the where one might chose
> to start the first lecture.  I would be unhappy with the choice of
> Aristotle.  Karl Polanyi of course did found economic thought on Aristotle,
> but I feel neither Polanyi nor Aristotle are sufficiently free of partisan
> stain.
>
> I do not teach, and have no plans to.  But if I were notionally to chose an
> ancient fundamental position, (for use in some ideal world), I guess it
> would be the tale of Diogenes and the candle.  But actually, I think I would
> turn to my hero of the early enlightenment, John Arbuthnot.  Aside from his
> work in fiction and mathematics (and as Newton?s doctor), Arbuthnot wrote a
> forgotten work pioneering the quantification of economic aspects of history.
>  He also wrote a summary of a satirical work on the nature of political
> lies.  That is where I would (notionally) start:
>
> John Arbuthnot (1713), concerning ?The Art of convincing the People of
> Salutary Falsehoods, for some good End?:
>
> ?People have a Right to private Truth from their Neighbours, and oeconomical
> Truth from their own Family......but...they have no Right at all to
> Political Truth:.......People may as well all pretend to be Lords of Mannors
> and possess great Estates, as to have Truth told them in Matters of
> Government. The Author, with great Judgment, states the several Shares of
> Mankind in this Matter of Truth, according to their several Capacities,
> Dignities, and Professions; and shews you, that Children have hardly any
> share at all; in consequence of which, they have very seldom any Truth told
> them.?
>
> (PROPOSALS For PRINTING A very Curious Discourse, A TREATISE of the ART OF
> Political Lying, WITH An ABSTRACT of the First Volume of the said TREATISE.)
>