Comments on: Tyler Cowen: Statist, anti-Rothbardian agent of the Kochtopus http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/ Commentary on the economy, the markets, and business Sat, 05 Dec 2009 11:23:59 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: adamgurri http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/comment-page-1/#comment-12558 adamgurri Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:39:41 +0000 http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/?p=3773#comment-12558 <i>Tyler Cowen is not an authority on Austrian economics because (hey, guess what!) he's NOT an Austrian economist.</i> So someone cannot be an expert on a school of thought without actually being a member of it? I cannot become an expert on 18th Century Empiricism without buying into its central tenets? I cannot become an expert on Communist ideology without first becoming a Communist? I cannot become an expert on Newtonian physics unless I believe it to be the one, true theoretical framework? Or Relativity, or Quantum Theory, or the Theory of Natural Selection? No one can simultaneously be a critic and an expert? As <a href="http://www.gene-callahan.org/blog/2009/01/plight-of-philosopher.html" rel="nofollow">Gene Callahan points out</a>, the logic of this statement does not hold. Tyler Cowen is not an authority on Austrian economics because (hey, guess what!) he's NOT an Austrian economist.

So someone cannot be an expert on a school of thought without actually being a member of it?

I cannot become an expert on 18th Century Empiricism without buying into its central tenets? I cannot become an expert on Communist ideology without first becoming a Communist? I cannot become an expert on Newtonian physics unless I believe it to be the one, true theoretical framework? Or Relativity, or Quantum Theory, or the Theory of Natural Selection? No one can simultaneously be a critic and an expert?

As Gene Callahan points out, the logic of this statement does not hold.

]]> By: Sukrit Sabhlok http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/comment-page-1/#comment-12495 Sukrit Sabhlok Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:56:06 +0000 http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/?p=3773#comment-12495 Tyler Cowen is not an authority on Austrian economics because (hey, guess what!) he's NOT an Austrian economist. If you want to learn about Austrian economics, the best place to start is by reading actual Austrian economists. And it's not true that the Austrians haven't refuted in detail all the criticisms made by the likes of Cowen. This is obvious by reading the pages of the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. There is a long history of rivalry between the "radical" Austrians (followers of Mises, Hayek and Rothbard) and the more "moderate" Friedmanites (followers of Milton Friedman). Sometimes it gets quite personal, however there are also sensible disputes over economics. Tyler Cowen is not an authority on Austrian economics because (hey, guess what!) he's NOT an Austrian economist. If you want to learn about Austrian economics, the best place to start is by reading actual Austrian economists.

And it's not true that the Austrians haven't refuted in detail all the criticisms made by the likes of Cowen. This is obvious by reading the pages of the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics.

There is a long history of rivalry between the "radical" Austrians (followers of Mises, Hayek and Rothbard) and the more "moderate" Friedmanites (followers of Milton Friedman). Sometimes it gets quite personal, however there are also sensible disputes over economics.

]]> By: ehollering http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/comment-page-1/#comment-12492 ehollering Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:26:17 +0000 http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/?p=3773#comment-12492 Somehow I lost half a sentence there (wish you could edit comments). It meant to say that he followed up on it later and also offered up some articles with counterarguments. This is part of why I like Cowen. I might not always find myself agreeing with him, but I like that he's at least fair. Somehow I lost half a sentence there (wish you could edit comments). It meant to say that he followed up on it later and also offered up some articles with counterarguments. This is part of why I like Cowen. I might not always find myself agreeing with him, but I like that he's at least fair.

]]> By: ehollering http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/comment-page-1/#comment-12491 ehollering Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:20:09 +0000 http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/?p=3773#comment-12491 @Justin Fox When Krugman won the Nobel prize Cowen mentioned the article as one of his favorites (I assumed he was being serious), and renewed the debate. Then he Here's the link to Tyler's posts on Marginal Revolution -- http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2008/10/paul-krugman-wi.html http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2008/10/paul-krugman-on.html And here is a response from Robert P. Murphy on Mises.org -- http://mises.org/story/3155 There was more buzzing around the econ blogosphere as well but those links should capture the gist of it. And while I have the opportunity, I meant rift instead of riff. @Justin Fox
When Krugman won the Nobel prize Cowen mentioned the article as one of his favorites (I assumed he was being serious), and renewed the debate. Then he

Here's the link to Tyler's posts on Marginal Revolution --

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2008/10/paul-krugman-wi.html

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2008/10/paul-krugman-on.html

And here is a response from Robert P. Murphy on Mises.org -- http://mises.org/story/3155

There was more buzzing around the econ blogosphere as well but those links should capture the gist of it.

And while I have the opportunity, I meant rift instead of riff.

]]> By: ayrnieu http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/comment-page-1/#comment-12490 ayrnieu Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:11:50 +0000 http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/?p=3773#comment-12490 When you decide that some group of people are 'true believers', you can then speak of everything they do in religious terms. But this is just something you've decided at the outset; your creativity at casting parties as 'apostates' does not support it. When you decide that some group of people are 'true believers', you can then speak of everything they do in religious terms. But this is just something you've decided at the outset; your creativity at casting parties as 'apostates' does not support it.

]]> By: Justin Fox http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/comment-page-1/#comment-12489 Justin Fox Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:46:52 +0000 http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/?p=3773#comment-12489 @ehollering: Unless I'm missing something, I'm the one who trumpeted Krugman's Slate.com piece, not Tyler. So don't hold that against him. @ehollering: Unless I'm missing something, I'm the one who trumpeted Krugman's Slate.com piece, not Tyler. So don't hold that against him.

]]> By: ehollering http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/comment-page-1/#comment-12488 ehollering Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:22:55 +0000 http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/?p=3773#comment-12488 Also, thanks for the hilarious (and accurate) post title! lol I like Cowen by the way, and while I believe the version of Austrian business cycle theory propagated by Mises, Hayek, and Rothbard, and tremendously presented by Roger Garrison, I am anxious to read Cowen's critique. Too bad his book is $200 and couldn't be obtained by my local library, even through inter-library loan! Though truth-be-told, I am a little put off by the fact that Cowen trumpeted the Slate.com critique of 'Hangover Theory' from Krugman, which was an absolutely misguided and sloppy piece (speaking with no authority or credentials here, but even an educated layman can spot an obvious misrepresentation of the opposition). Also, thanks for the hilarious (and accurate) post title! lol

I like Cowen by the way, and while I believe the version of Austrian business cycle theory propagated by Mises, Hayek, and Rothbard, and tremendously presented by Roger Garrison, I am anxious to read Cowen's critique. Too bad his book is $200 and couldn't be obtained by my local library, even through inter-library loan! Though truth-be-told, I am a little put off by the fact that Cowen trumpeted the Slate.com critique of 'Hangover Theory' from Krugman, which was an absolutely misguided and sloppy piece (speaking with no authority or credentials here, but even an educated layman can spot an obvious misrepresentation of the opposition).

]]> By: ehollering http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/comment-page-1/#comment-12487 ehollering Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:03:58 +0000 http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/?p=3773#comment-12487 In my opinion, you would do well to ignore the riff and consider the ideas from mises.org as well as the 'Kochtopus' and draw your own conclusions. A riff exists, and they would be doing themselves a favor by burying the hatchet (somewhere other than each others backs). Nonetheless, I consider them both good resources worthy of investigation. They are individuals, and each have their ideas (some better than others), and shouldn't be shrugged off because of the differences among them. My suggestion is that you consider what you've read as perspective, and examine their work as individual scholars. I'll deign to repeat myself here and highly recommend FEE's Austrian economics seminars from this past summer, available here: http://fee.org/library/podcasts/austrian-economics/ In my opinion, you would do well to ignore the riff and consider the ideas from mises.org as well as the 'Kochtopus' and draw your own conclusions. A riff exists, and they would be doing themselves a favor by burying the hatchet (somewhere other than each others backs). Nonetheless, I consider them both good resources worthy of investigation. They are individuals, and each have their ideas (some better than others), and shouldn't be shrugged off because of the differences among them.

My suggestion is that you consider what you've read as perspective, and examine their work as individual scholars. I'll deign to repeat myself here and highly recommend FEE's Austrian economics seminars from this past summer, available here: http://fee.org/library/podcasts/austrian-economics/

]]> By: plukasiak http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/comment-page-1/#comment-12483 plukasiak Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:51:40 +0000 http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/?p=3773#comment-12483 wow! that almost makes me nostalgic for the days when I'd wind up in a room full of marxist theorist, debating the finer points of dialectic and ideological betrayal.... wow! that almost makes me nostalgic for the days when I'd wind up in a room full of marxist theorist, debating the finer points of dialectic and ideological betrayal....

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