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THE HECKLER

When the BBC called Professor Galbraith in 1973 to invite him to produce a series of television shows, no doubt seeking to re-enact the successes of Civilization and The Ascent of Man, they could not have expected the then Harvard economist to produce any fundamentally new ideas. After all, the production of new ideas is a calling reliable in neither quantity nor quality, and even a governmental agency wishes to have something to show for several millions of dollars. That the television series, and the accompanying book, contain few ideas new even to Galbraith is therefore no occasion for surprise, let alone complaint. So a well-known preacher has returned with his customary sermon, and if it is beginning to be delivered in a somewhat garrulous fashion, that is a small sin and one customarily indulged in people of Galbraith’s (and my!) age.

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THE HECKLER

When the BBC called Professor Galbraith in 1973 to invite him to produce a series of television shows, no doubt seeking to re-enact the successes of Civilization and The Ascent of Man, they could not have expected the then Harvard economist to produce any fundamentally new ideas. After all, the production of new ideas is a calling reliable in neither quantity nor quality, and even a governmental agency wishes to have something to show for several millions of dollars. That the television series, and the accompanying book, contain few ideas new even to Galbraith is therefore no occasion for surprise, let alone complaint. So a well-known preacher has returned with his customary sermon, and if it is beginning to be delivered in a somewhat garrulous fashion, that is a small sin and one customarily indulged in people of Galbraith’s (and my!) age.