John Maynard KeynesJohn Maynard Keynes was born in 1883, meaning he lived in roughly the same time period as the seven creative individuals that Howard Gardner chose to focus on in his book Creation Minds. I chose to look at the life of Maynard Keynes because it is so fascinating and diverse. While involving some of the same characteristics found in the lives of those Gardner focused on, Maynard's life includes many differences and also adds some interesting twists. It can only be useful and interesting to see how this creative individual fits into Gardner's model. Keynes was one of the most influential economists of the twentieth century and one of the few social scientists who, through their writings, significantly influenced the course of history. His influence on the economy was so great that the boom that Western industrial countries experienced between 1945 and 1975 has been called the “Keynesian era.” As we begin to see how Keynes came to have such an impact and how he fits into Gardner's model, we must first introduce a bit of his background and life. The fifty years or so preceding the writing of The General Theory, which is perhaps Keynes's most revolutionary book, play an important role in how this work came to be. John Maynard Keynes was born in Cambridge, the eldest son of John Neville Keynes and Florance Ada. Keynes. The lineage of these two people is truly impressive, as are the people themselves. At the time of his son's birth, John Neville Keynes was a lecturer in political economy at Cambridge and eventually became the university's chief administrative officer. Florance Ada was a graduate of Newnham College, Cambridge and a pioneer of social work for the city. You... halfway... to maintaining high employment levels. It was published in a period favorable to economic change, the interwar period, when economic theory was in need of reform. After its publication he became the most influential figure in British economic policy, having an entire era bear his name for eternity. From his secure middle-class family and his elite education at Eaton and Cambridge, to his close friendship with the Bloomsbury circle, Keynes had the confidence to step away from normality to develop his full creative capacity and change the way economists think . His heritage gave him a strong sense of responsibility which explains his dedication to statistical matters. He was interested in maintaining the traditions of social life that supported freedom of belief, action and individuality; he became a creative genius. Today we are all Keynesians - Richard Nixon