[OPE-L] How I got a bit of criticism

From: Jurriaan Bendien (adsl675281@TISCALI.NL)
Date: Sat Nov 18 2006 - 06:37:55 EST


Dogan,

Best thing is if you would send me a copy of your book, I'm interested in
that topic and could in time give you some comment.

I'm basically rather busy till mid-January, and cannot spent much time on
this list now (workload, courseload, holiday).

I didn't receive any criticism offlist, except that Jerry said some of my
points could have been made better (that's the trouble with off-the-cuff
mails that you write on the spirit of the moment). Jerry and I disagree on a
number of questions, but that's okay, if we agreed on everything that would
be boring as well.

Normally I am quite open to criticism and correction, of course it depends a
bit on motivation or intent, but if I'm wrong about something I admit I am
wrong, that's it, then I learn from that. For example, Michael Williams
corrected me on the concept of a "service" as a commodity, and Ajit Sinha
corrected me on Sraffa's theory of wage determination. Some other criticisms
you just have to let pass, because they're only insults.

Being thought-provoking is not everything - you also have to really solve
some problems of course, if you have intellectual integrity. It is one thing
to say that problems aren't framed correctly, another to solve them.  I want
to write up a book sometime with my conclusions, but I don't know when yet
at this stage. It's a question of some more personal experience before
things settle into place, I expect. I don't have the opportunity right now
to read and research all I need.

Jurriaan


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