The State of Interpretation of Keynes

Book excerpt: Interest in John Maynard Keynes's economic, political and philosophical thinking has undergone a tremendous revival in the last decade. The essays and comments collected in this volume were written on a set of themes representative of the current state of interpretation of Keynes's thinking. Some of the topics investigated have received much attention in the past, and some are of more recent interest. In the former category are topics on standard issues in the interpretation of Keynes's economics: the transition in Keynes's thinking from the The Treatise on Money to The General Theory, the nature of the argument in The General Theory, and Keynes's economic policy views. The latter category introduces themes of a wider nature, and includes two papers on Keynes's vision and one on Keynes's philosophical thinking. The strategy adopted in the selection of topics was to review the debates over Keynes's economics from fresh perspectives, and then go on to supply discussions of broader issues concerning the nature of Keynes as a thinker. This collection as a whole adds to our general understanding of Keynes's work, and contributes to the current revival of interest in Keynes.