One of the books I am currently reading is Nicholas Wapshott's Keynes Hayek (a book I probably wont get into much on here due to my lack of confidence in talking about economics, but as always I reserve the right to change my mind) and the following passage represents something that keeps beating me over the head through out the whole book:
Here is a man who is arguably one of the more brilliant minds of his generation but because he did not speak English his arguments either were muddled or never heard by any one who did not speak German.
It is striking that speech, something that small children do with ease, can cause such division and distrust when it is not completely understood. Here's to someone bringing our world the equivalent of the babel fish for he will be the bringer of peace and prosperity. Or not.
Teaching gave Hayek pleasure, though his difficulty with English hampered his ability to transmit his message. “All of us were excited to hear that Hayek had arrived,” recalled Theodore Draimin, an LSE undergraduate in 1932. “When we arrived for the first lecture he commenced to talk in English. After a few minutes, it became apparent that none of us could understand a word he said. Some suggested he speak in German. This he did, and those of us unable to understand had to leave the course.”
Here is a man who is arguably one of the more brilliant minds of his generation but because he did not speak English his arguments either were muddled or never heard by any one who did not speak German.
It is striking that speech, something that small children do with ease, can cause such division and distrust when it is not completely understood. Here's to someone bringing our world the equivalent of the babel fish for he will be the bringer of peace and prosperity. Or not.
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