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Jevons (1875):

Currency is to the science of economy what the squaring of the circle is to geometry, or perpetual motion to mechanics.

I can't make any sense of this quote. I know that the "squaring of the circle" and "perpetual motion" are impossible, but Jevons probably doesn't mean to say that "currency" is likewise impossible?

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  • $\begingroup$ Based on the subsequent remarks on that page, it seems he simply/actually meant to say it's a deep and difficult topic, rather than intractable. $\endgroup$ – Fizz Apr 17 at 13:05
  • $\begingroup$ A quick glance at Wikipedia suggests that perpetual motion being impossible under the modern laws of thermodynamics was not settled in 1875. It would have been an extremely arcane debate at the time of writing, and Jevons may have only been aware of the science of an earlier date. $\endgroup$ – Brian Romanchuk Apr 17 at 14:40

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