Here is Tyler Cowen making the case for why Paul Krugman is the new Milton Friedman.
I doubt Paul Krugman’s hostility versus Milton Friedman’s civility has much much to do with their age.
They’re both top tier economists who have become popular political figures, for differing political views. I don’t actually see many similarities besides that. But maybe that’s all that “the next Milton Friedman” means. Though, I take it that many right-wingers are looking for the next Milton Friedman in a solely libertarian sense, which is why Tyler Cowen’s arguments are so contrarian within the group he’s speaking to.
The way that they look for “the next Milton Friedman” sort of reminds me of the NBA’s search for “the next Michael Jordan”. I’m sure the economists will put on a talent show one of these days, “the next top Milton Friedman”. But really, I don’t think that we should expect that kind of repeating of history. If somebody was the next Milton Friedman, that person wouldn’t be that great. Whatever similarities he actually has to Milton Friedman besides just the general quality of greatness, makes him not as relevant or as great because Milton Friedman already did it.
