La fin de l'Histoire (économique)

Some papers, for reasons which remain partially obscure, leave a persistent trace in intellectual history. Such is the case with Keynes? « Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren » and its central questioning: Could the very functioning of the capitalist system lead to the solution of the economic problem and hence to the end of capitalism itself? This paper sustains that the answers given by Keynes to this question are grounded on three elements: arithmetic, the neurosis of capitalism and the communism of the elites. On the first element, Keynes is right; one may even argue that his reasoning anticipates Solow?s growth model. The second element is rooted in the context in which Keynes was writing and grounded on a false interpretation of Freud?s work which led him to a simplistic analysis of human needs. The third element unveils his aristocratic view of society. What is remarkable in « the economic possibilities » is the powerful intuition of Keynes and even more remarkable the nature of the questions he poses. What is deceptive is the naivety with which Keynes deals with human needs and even more deceptive his arrogance and the questionable moral which goes with it. JEL Classification: A13, D11, D63, E12, E21, O47, P17.