Comments on: What Has Austrian Economics to Do with Literature?

By: John Blainey

John Blainey — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:08:26 +0000

I agree with the thinking of this review however I feel that it is incorrect in that it does not go far enough, concerning the concept of spontaneous order. Order cannot occur spontaneously in randomness. There can be no such thing as spontaneous order. For, where does that order come from – in randomness? Further, events and circumstances left to themselves tend to disorder. If this were not so diffusion would not happen. There would be no such thing as osmosis, a basic process of life. But the situation here agrees with that and it is very simply that the spontaneous inter action of people, and events, responding to the order that is already inherent in them, causes them to operate in a manner consistent with that order and is therefore, ordered. The order does not have to be enforced, as in determinism. It is already established and it out works through people and events. It is as natural as gravity.

By: Vanmind

Vanmind — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:11:41 +0000

I’ve read Okri’s “A Famished Road,” it’s a good, dreamy work. Whether or not his personal “vision” is Austrian is irrelevant to fiction.

I’m reminded of an idiot in a fiction workshop I attended who insisted that no writer should introduce a mysoginist character because, well, mysoginy is just plain wrong. Irrelevant. To. Fiction.

On the other hand, “Ooh, don’t ever color outside the lines, because that’s not realistic enough and people might get the wrong impression of what the world is really like.” Ha, there’s a sucker of a Rand fan born every minute.

By: Vanmind

Vanmind — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 05:52:23 +0000

Not selling very well, eh? Not surprising.

By: Michael A. Clem

Michael A. Clem — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:10:00 +0000

…says someone who obviously couldn’t be bothered to find out anything about the site he was posting to…

By: Jonathan Finegold Catalán

Jonathan Finegold Catalán — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:47:22 +0000

Les,

Austrian as in the Austrian school of economics, versus the Keynesian, Marxian schools, et cetera.

By: Les Herasymchuk

Les Herasymchuk — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:28:51 +0000

Such article could be written only by a person who knows nothing about contemporary literary criticism. The more so there is literary criticism beyond the borders of both Austria and English-speaking world practicing other methods of literary analysis.

By: Aubrey Herbert

Aubrey Herbert — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:33:47 +0000

Love the reviews Gordon. Cheers.