For Brad DeLong, Knowledge about a Topic...
Is just not necessary for spouting off authoritatively about it:
"After all, Ptolemy had microfoundations: Mercury moved more rapidly than Saturn because the Angel of Mercury left his wings more rapidly than the Angel of Saturn and because Mercury was lighter than Saturn..."
As far as I can tell, this is 100% made up. Angels were not a part of Greek belief, and the idea that angels had something to do with the planetary orbits does not seem to arise until the Middle Ages.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Does Brad DeLong Just Make Things Up?
Brad DeLong is professor of Economics and chair of the Political Economy major at the University of California, Berkeley. Gene Callahan thinks he just makes things up:
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Mercury and Saturn were Roman gods, not Greek. Their Greek counterparts were Cronus and Hermes, respectively.
ReplyDeleteAngel of Mercury? The guy is as uneducated as they come. Doesn't stop him from pontificating in pubic and holding dignified academic offices. I'd say my respect for UCB dropped a notch if it wasn't already at the ground level.
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