> >Justin, you keep reminding us of Oskar Lange's economics of socialism >quote. He thought that General Equilibrium was a proof of the efficacy of >market socialism. I don't want to debate market socialism -- we have >worked that one over more than enough -- but his "proof" seems kind of >silly to me.
(a) He did not. This is a common myth. In The Economic Theory of Socialism defended central planning by shadow pricing. Later, after experiences as an actual planner, he became an advocate of market reform, but not via GET. (b) I don't endorse Lange's use of GET even in defense of planning by using his quip, which is just too good to let go. If I quote Tocqueville or Churchill or Machiavelli or Goering or even Perlman for an especially apt remark, I do not thereby buy into their total potical philosophies. I do not confine myself to quotinf only people I agree with, or I would never quote anyone. (c) Anyway, you know, or should by now, that ich bin ein echt Oesterreicher on these matters, not a Arrovian-Debreauvnik. I go with the Hayekian critique of GET. So you have to take the commebt in the spirit in which it was quoted, which is not for its literal truth. Chhez, you marxists are so humorless. Was looking at your Invention of Capitalism in the bookstore the other day, looks good, ; I will buy it, but right now I'm busy with other things. jks _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.
