The Immoral Moral Scientist. John Maynard Keynes

Abstract

This paper undertakes to examine one aspect of the worldview of John Maynard Keynes - his alleged anti-Semitism. Keynes’ anti-Semitic utterances long attracted the attention of his biographers: some suspected anti-Semitism to be a permanent feature of Keynes’ worldview, others refuted such claims and underlined the element of reproduction of anti-Semitic clichés that already permeated Keynes own milieu. The aim of this article is to reveal multiple layers that moulded the nature of Keynes’ anti-Semitism within the context of his own socio-political milieu. When put in a dialogue with his political gestures, Keynes’ problematic utterances become to be seen in a different light.