But it is fairly clear that even in the 1970s there was not enough empirical evidence in support of Friedman’s ideas to justify their growing dominance. And, indeed, there can be no denying the fact that Friedman’s cure proved to be an inadequate response to the Great Recession – strongly suggesting that it would have fallen similarly short had it been tried during the Great Depression.
这些问题都是可争论的。但很显然，即使在20世纪70年代，也没有足够的实证证据支持弗里德曼的思想、证明它们的日占上风实至名归。此外，事实上，一个不容否认的事实是弗里德曼的药方被证明并不足以应对大衰退——这强烈地表明如果在大衰退期间使用，其效果也可能远远不够。