Abstract

Keynes's "General Theory" is a classic, and classics should be read or re-read directly, without any scholarly mediation. Some methodological and substantive elements of the "General Theory" are constitutive of the GT itself. These elements give the most fruitful hints, if you want to grasp the important points of the current economic crisis. Unfortunately they are removed by mainstream economics. The first element is Keynes's use of some so-called "psychological" categories (the "convention", etc.); the second is the relationship, in Keynes's view, between economic theory and economic policy; and the third is the social philosophy towards which the "General Theory" might lead.