Continuity and change in Keynes's thought: the importance of Hume

David Andrews

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 1999, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-21

Abstract: Keynes's economic thought underwent a major transition during the course of his life; in recent years a debate has arisen over whether Keynes's philosophical thought underwent a similar transition. This paper argues that, despite the existence of significant continuities, Keynes's philosophical thinking did undergo a major change, and specifically that this change can be seen clearly when Keynes's philosphy is viewed in the context of the philosophy of David Hume: the early Keynes attempted to answer Hume's analysis of induction, but the later Keynes accepted Hume's sceptical conclusion that custom and not reason is the 'guide of life'.

Keywords: Keynes; Hume; Uncertainty; Induction; Probability; Rationality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1999
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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DOI: 10.1080/10427719900000122

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