================= HES POSTING ================= Roy Weintraub and Tony Brewer seem to agree that HESers can write many kinds of histories of economics. But I would ask: what's the point? What is the purpose of writing a history of economic thought? Entertainment, finding out about the personalities of the writers, finding out which names commanded the greatest respect, distinguishing national or linguistic groups, and distinguishing universities are possibilities. When I say HESers should focus on ideas, I mean that although these purposes and others might be aimed at, they are not worthy. I ask: how would following Roy Weintraub's recommendations help one understand the development of ideas about the market economy or about the role of government in the production of what ordinary people call wealth? Or, the same question more broadly: if HESers follow Roy Weintraub, where are they headed? -- Pat Gunning http://stsvr.showtower.com.tw/~gunning/welcome ============ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ============ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]