ABSTRACT

it can hardly be an ill wind that brings us a book from Professor Robbins. Yet his reason for writing it is depressing enough. He is distressed at the neglect by economists of the history of economic thought. ‘In most centres of study, this kind of knowledge has come to be regarded as a very unimportant embellishment, as inessential to the economist as a knowledge of the history of chemistry is said to be inessential to the chemist.’ What he particularly deprecates is misrepresentation of the classic economists, especially as to their views on social policy.

‘Popular writing in this connection is far below the zero of knowledge or common decency. On this plane, not only is any real knowledge of the Classical writers non-existent but, further, their places are taken by a set of mythological figures, passing by the same names, but not infrequently invested with attitudes almost the exact reverse of those which the originals adopted.’