Mr Keynes and the ‘Classics’ Again: A Methodological Enquiry

Keynes is usually interpreted as proposing, or intending to propose an original theory of employment and income. However, this paper shows that Keynes was actually proposing more than a theoretical alternative. He saw himself breaking away from the Classics at the connected levels of theory and methodology. This paper thus argues that modern economists going back to the old story of the relation between 'Mr. Keynes and The Classics' can learn something about several controversial issues in macroeconomics and methodology like for instance the role of experiments and formal arguments in economics.