Hi Folks,
I've been reading on Mises.org since 2005 and managed to change my viewpoint, from a mild manipulated social-democrat into a strongly Austrian-oriented mind, and also trying to absorb (up to my personal limits...) the libertarian philosophy, which clashes with some personal beliefs but is nevertheless a good excercise for testing (and stretching) my ability to think in a consistent manner.
One of my favorite readings is the set of essays by Fréderic Bastiat on economic freedom and against the state.
What strikes me mostly in Bastiat is the absolute freshness of his texts, it seems to me they could have been written today - which, in turn, makes me utterly sad by recognizing that the average economic thought looks to have stagnated since then, just look around and you'll see widespread "statolatry", and silly economic ideas still ruling the political world.
My question is: to what extent could Bastiat be considered aligned with the current state of the evolution of Austro-Libertarian thought? Which would be his most consistent viewpoints with respect to both the economic and political foundations of modern Austro-Libertarian line, and which would be the greatest deviations from this axis?
(For instance, I've noticed in some of his essays, that he admitted the existence of a "minimal" state to guarantee order and avoid "chaos" in society).
I'll appreciate your help in understanding better Bastiat's role in this matter.
Thanks,
R. Halevy
It seems we share a lot. I've experienced the same kind of change of viewpoint from readings on Mises.org; The Bastiat Collection being one of my favourites too.
Halevy:My question is: to what extent could Bastiat be considered aligned with the current state of the evolution of Austro-Libertarian thought? Which would be his most consistent viewpoints with respect to both the economic and political foundations of modern Austro-Libertarian line, and which would be the greatest deviations from this axis?
Unfortunately the foundations of "the modern Austro-Libertarian line", whatever that is, has evolved after Bastiat's death. As a result it would be unfair to speculate how he would think of - e.g. the writings of Rothbard, Hoppe, Block - although it would seem fair to speculate that he would find disagreements with mutualists and individualist anarchists just as Rothbard himself did. He belongs to the French Liberal School and as such he would probably align quite well with the views of Mises, although Bastiat would of course be anterior to Mises himself. See, for instance, the interview with Mark Thornton (29:05 if you are in a hurry).
When it comes to his alignment with Austrian Economics, per se, I would recommend "Frédéric Bastiat as an Austrian Economist."
Hallo Corpus Delicti.
Thanks for your comments on this matter.
I'm aware that Bastiat was not an economist in the strict sense of the word, but his insights on the subject are very interesting and, in my opinion, quite consistent.
As far as I could read from Rothbard, for instance -- who constructs his huge mental building mainly based on the non-aggression principle but avoids evoking moral values, Bastiat would not be considered fully libertarian in the currently accepted meaning of the word, in regard to his attempt to derive or justify some political and economic ideas such as non-interventionism from religion-based ethics - which BTW I personally endorse as a strong and useful foundation for free-market economy.
I'll follow your reading recommendations and research a bit further on this.
Have a nice weekend!!
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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