I do not know which makes a man more conservative - to know nothing but the present, or nothing but the past.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Keynes suggests that ignorance of either the present or the past defines conservatism, implying that understanding both is necessary for true perspective.
- In plain terms
- He says being conservative means knowing only one time period and ignoring the other.
- What can you take from it?
- True understanding requires knowing both past and present contexts.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What defines true conservatism?
- Why is history important?
Another view
It simplifies complex political identities into ignorance.
More from John Maynard Keynes
A study of the history of opinion is a necessary preliminary to the emancipation of the mind.
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