Arnold and I crossed paths for a few years when we both worked at the Fed. Even then, not knowing his background, I thought his research was quite original and insightful. These anecdotes about Solow confirm my early assessment. Arnold's writings today continue to be original and insightful!
Very moving post. Glenn Loury (another Solow student with whom you must have overlapped for a year or two) was on that sailboat a few years later when Solow and Diamond were trying to recruit him as faculty. Discussed in Glenn's fascinating memoir, out next year:
So let's see. The book was complete enough a while ago to send out review copies and get six blurbs. But no ordinary person will be able to buy it until May 24, 2024, at least half a year later. Publishing is ridiculous.
From the Department of Solipsism: A possibly under-appreciated fact about Solow is that apparently, he discussed "cabbages and kings" with Paul Samuelson. His autobiography at the Nobel Prize website states:
“M.I.T. hired me primarily to teach courses in statistics and econometrics. In the beginning I fully intended to make my career along those lines. It did not turn out that way, probably for a geographical reason. I was given the office next to Paul Samuelson’s. Thus began what is now almost 40 years of almost daily conversations about economics, politics, our children, cabbages and kings. That has been an immeasurably important part of my professional life.”
There is a reason that Michel de Montaigne is alleged to have said “I want death to find me planting my cabbages, neither worrying about it nor the unfinished gardening.” Perhaps you can guess that reason? I cannot. Perhaps Diogenes, who, while reputedly searching for an honest man, is said to have drank nothing but water and eaten nothing but cabbage, would know.
At any rate, it is probably a safe bet that when Candide said "We must cultivate our garden," in Voltaire's novel, he had a garden with cabbages in it in mind: Voltaire himself wrote “Cabbage: a vegetable about the size and as wise as a man’s head.”
Why does the topic of cabbage crop up in such elevated company? One wonders what Solow and Samuelson had to say to each other that would be covered by "cabbages and kings?"
Tho it occurred 40 years ago, it still hurts. She let it go.
She adds it is “the classic Trumpy move”.
I’m now thinking that many women believed big talking, braggarts who promise then essentially betray them. If they see in Trump an echo of some jerk who’s treated them, personally, poorly, it’s understandable they won’t like him, no matter what his policies are. This Trump hater also seems to believe the Dem lies about criminal behavior of Trump. Legal but immoral actions are not crimes, tho crimes committed which are not known are crimes.
I don’t like this narcissistic aspect of Trump, but his bragging doesn’t bother me much, either. Muhammad Ali was also not known for humility, but, like Trump, for his willingness to fight for his side.
Did Woglom really plagiarize, or was it merely Duplicative Language, like Harvard’s DEI President Gay uses?
Stealing glory for an idea is terrible.
Kind of too bad Arnold didn’t quite inspire Solow enough to create an economic school promoting S & T, Specialization & Trade. I keep thinking there’s a lot of important truth in that mostly unexplored POV, which could lead to better policy. Good macro memoir, thanks.
How great men channel the currents of history that are always flowing. Keynes & Samuelson, Hayek, Friedman, Buchanan.
Perhaps Solow was correct in saying "let it pass" when someone rips off your ideas and words. The people who do need to plagiarize or steal designs often can't create their own. I did rip apart someones work showing he didn't really understand the ramification and details of that innovation direction and that years of his research results didn't answer the question he was asking. In fact their results were just Astrology (pattern matching with no meaning).
Arnold and I crossed paths for a few years when we both worked at the Fed. Even then, not knowing his background, I thought his research was quite original and insightful. These anecdotes about Solow confirm my early assessment. Arnold's writings today continue to be original and insightful!
Very moving post. Glenn Loury (another Solow student with whom you must have overlapped for a year or two) was on that sailboat a few years later when Solow and Diamond were trying to recruit him as faculty. Discussed in Glenn's fascinating memoir, out next year:
https://a.co/d/fSg6G3S
I got an advance copy and have a blurb on the jacket, but take a look at the others!
I wish you would name the plagiarist. Shameful.
Woglom.
Better link for the reviews of Glenn's memoir:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393881342?ie=UTF8&n=133140011
So let's see. The book was complete enough a while ago to send out review copies and get six blurbs. But no ordinary person will be able to buy it until May 24, 2024, at least half a year later. Publishing is ridiculous.
The book was just finished, blurbs based on draft that even had a different title. But yes, should be out sooner.
""The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings."
--Lewis Carroll, The Walrus and the Carpenter
From the Department of Solipsism: A possibly under-appreciated fact about Solow is that apparently, he discussed "cabbages and kings" with Paul Samuelson. His autobiography at the Nobel Prize website states:
“M.I.T. hired me primarily to teach courses in statistics and econometrics. In the beginning I fully intended to make my career along those lines. It did not turn out that way, probably for a geographical reason. I was given the office next to Paul Samuelson’s. Thus began what is now almost 40 years of almost daily conversations about economics, politics, our children, cabbages and kings. That has been an immeasurably important part of my professional life.”
(https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/1987/solow/biographical/ )
There is a reason that Michel de Montaigne is alleged to have said “I want death to find me planting my cabbages, neither worrying about it nor the unfinished gardening.” Perhaps you can guess that reason? I cannot. Perhaps Diogenes, who, while reputedly searching for an honest man, is said to have drank nothing but water and eaten nothing but cabbage, would know.
At any rate, it is probably a safe bet that when Candide said "We must cultivate our garden," in Voltaire's novel, he had a garden with cabbages in it in mind: Voltaire himself wrote “Cabbage: a vegetable about the size and as wise as a man’s head.”
Why does the topic of cabbage crop up in such elevated company? One wonders what Solow and Samuelson had to say to each other that would be covered by "cabbages and kings?"
Here’s a similar idea theft thread
https://twitter.com/DoctorVive/status/1738258471827419185
Tho it occurred 40 years ago, it still hurts. She let it go.
She adds it is “the classic Trumpy move”.
I’m now thinking that many women believed big talking, braggarts who promise then essentially betray them. If they see in Trump an echo of some jerk who’s treated them, personally, poorly, it’s understandable they won’t like him, no matter what his policies are. This Trump hater also seems to believe the Dem lies about criminal behavior of Trump. Legal but immoral actions are not crimes, tho crimes committed which are not known are crimes.
I don’t like this narcissistic aspect of Trump, but his bragging doesn’t bother me much, either. Muhammad Ali was also not known for humility, but, like Trump, for his willingness to fight for his side.
Did Woglom really plagiarize, or was it merely Duplicative Language, like Harvard’s DEI President Gay uses?
Stealing glory for an idea is terrible.
Kind of too bad Arnold didn’t quite inspire Solow enough to create an economic school promoting S & T, Specialization & Trade. I keep thinking there’s a lot of important truth in that mostly unexplored POV, which could lead to better policy. Good macro memoir, thanks.
How great men channel the currents of history that are always flowing. Keynes & Samuelson, Hayek, Friedman, Buchanan.
https://cooperative-individualism.org/solow-robert_on-theories-of-unemployment-1980-mar.pdf
Perhaps Solow was correct in saying "let it pass" when someone rips off your ideas and words. The people who do need to plagiarize or steal designs often can't create their own. I did rip apart someones work showing he didn't really understand the ramification and details of that innovation direction and that years of his research results didn't answer the question he was asking. In fact their results were just Astrology (pattern matching with no meaning).