Perhaps I might move the discussion along by asking, after instructing Paul that if he's a Brit he should stiffen the sinew and decide for himself how many commas he wants to have, whether anyone has read Gregory Clark, "A Farewell to Alms"? I read the opening chapter yesterday. He seems to want to argue that we have misunderstood what caused the Industrial Revolution and thus our attempts, through the I.M.F. and the World Bank, to encourage development in other countries, are wrongheaded. The Industrial Revolution, he argues, was not a product of stable institutions, or of a concentration of technological innovation in Britain; what is important to understand, he suggests, is the overcoming of Malthusian limits by selective breeding. He seems to be arguing that the tale the Victorians told themselves was, in fact, correct. It's a jaw- dropper of a thesis. Anyone want to try it?
David Ritchie, Portland, Oregon ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html
