Jeeves and Wodehouse

P. G. WodehouseOh but when it rains, it pours. Some days have no one really interesting. Others have too many. Today is the latter kind of day.

On this day in 1844, the great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was born. I’m not a great fan of his, but it isn’t really his fault. The problem is that young men tend to really like him. Since he wasn’t a terribly careful writer, his work is a hell of a lot easier to read than, say, Kant. Plus, there is something very obnoxious about many of his ideas. The worst of these is the superman. The problem is not the very idea. I actually believe that man creates his own ethics and that this is determined to some extent by the man with the inclination and strength to force his ideas on others. But for most 17 year olds, it is just an excuse to be an asshole.

The great economist John Kenneth Galbraith was born in 1908. The thing about the best economists is that they shatter assumptions of the past. And economics, more than any other science I can think of, is littered with unconsidered assumptions. One of those assumptions was that companies didn’t affect consumer independence. That’s just a silly idea. Galbraith destroyed it. He also argued that the modern economy was fundamentally different than economies of old. I’m not sure how much I accept that, but it is certainly true that most libertarian theories are based on (and could only work in) extremely simple economies that don’t exist anymore.

And the great comedian Larry Miller is 60 today. Let’s be honest, he would be a huge star if he weren’t so ugly. What I especially like about him is that he created an enormous amount of material. Check out this half hour routine about a ski trip. It is brilliant:

Other birthdays (because I really want to go and watch It Happened One Night): the great historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr (1917); actor and Spock’s dad Mark Lenard (1924); philosopher Michel Foucault (1926); film director Penny Marshall (70); and musician Richard Carpenter (57).

The day, however, belongs to the great humorist P. G. Wodehouse. He is best know for his Jeeves short stories and novels, but he wrote a lot more than that. In fact, it is amazing to look back on his output. He is still well worth reading today. But if you don’t have time for that, you can always watch Fry and Laurie as Jeeves and Wooster. Here is the whole episode “Bertie Is in Love”:

Happy birthday P. G. Wodehouse!

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About Frank Moraes

Frank Moraes is a freelance writer and editor online and in print. He is educated as a scientist with a PhD in Atmospheric Physics. He has worked in climate science, remote sensing, throughout the computer industry, and as a college physics instructor. Find out more at About Frank Moraes.

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