In this episode of Fascinating!, Rik from Planet Vulcan takes us on a deep dive into the life and enduring influence of John Maynard Keynes, one of the most significant figures in modern economics. From his privileged upbringing in upper-middle-class England to his groundbreaking work during the Great Depression, Keynes shaped what we now know as macroeconomics. But was Keynes’ influence truly revolutionary, or was it a polished extension of medieval intelligent design thinking applied to the economy?
With dry humor and sharp insights, Rik challenges the assumptions behind Keynesian interventionism, drawing parallels to feudal governance and top-down economic planning. While Keynes may have been a brilliant thinker, his legacy of government-managed markets still resonates with ideas from a bygone era, ignoring the power of evolutionary thinking in socioeconomic systems. Join Rik as he unpacks Keynes’ contributions and asks whether it’s time for Earthlings to move beyond the medieval mindset still shaping much of modern economics.
