Hello all,
It's my eighteenth birthday coming up in a few weeks, and I was wondering whether or not it would be worth buying Ludwig von Mises' Human Action. I'm pretty new to economics, having only really read some Hayek and Rothbard as far as Austrian School economists go, so I'm wondering if I should start with something simpler or just jump right in at the deep end.
If Human Action is a bit too scholarly, could someone please recommend me another book/books instead.
I don't think you should try Human Action now, as a beginner.
Instead, try Principles of Economics by Carl Menger. It's a very good book.
And advanced birthday wishes as well!
You may as well get it now, along with Bob Murphy's study guide. My guess is it'll probably take you the next two or three years to understand it fully. But it's worth starting early.
I agree with the others. It's probably too tall an order to start out with. Human Action was one of the first "austrian" books on Econ that I'd read, I think after Hayek's Serfdom. However, I was 24 and starting graduate school. I don't think I could've really understood it at 18.
To echo the others' comments: Menger's Principles would be wonderful as an introduction.
You may also benefit from Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson, but if you already know a lot of econ, it might be too basic.
Remember that you can get full-text of Human Action on this website, so if you're curious about a particular subject I'd use that as a reference point, first. When you feel like you've mastered the basics, then maybe you could buy yourself a celebratory dead-tree version of Human Action.
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David Z
"The issue is always the same, the government or the market. There is no third solution."
Prashanth Perumal: I don't think you should try Human Action now, as a beginner. Instead, try Principles of Economics by Carl Menger. It's a very good book. And advanced birthday wishes as well!
Menger's Principles is more deliberate, more systematic, and has really long sentences. Mises is a better writer. Human Action is more discursive: he leavens his economic theorems with insights into philosophy, society, etc. That could be good or bad depending on your tastes. At the same time Mises' sentences are more concise, yet still very precise.
Human Action Comics Issues 1-6
Lilburne: Menger's Principles is more deliberate, more systematic, and has really long sentences. Mises is a better writer. Human Action is more discursive: he leavens his economic theorems with insights into philosophy, society, etc. That could be good or bad depending on your tastes. At the same time Mises' sentences are more concise, yet still very precise.
May be. I wouldn't call Human Action a tough read at all, while others find it so. Never really been able to figure out why. So I just go by my gut when I give recommendations!
Depends on your interests.. I went through the first hundred pages [philosophy] in a jiffy, but then got bored when I got to part 2. - Cattallatics.
It was recommended I read Rothbards Man, Economy and State before HA.
Rothbard is more clear.
Conza88: It was recommended I read Rothbards Man, Economy and State before HA. Rothbard is more clear.
Indeed, Rothbard is more readable than Mises or Hayek, both of whom write very much in the Austrian/German tradition. They are exceedingly precise and formal. To many native English speakers, this comes off as too dry, too technical, etc.
Gene Callahan's Economics for Real People is a great introductory text. I wouldn't recommend starting with HA, but Mises is such a brilliant mind that it's guaranteed you will purchase it eventually.
LibertarianAnarchy.com - Government is immoral, unnecessary, and doesn't work!
I'd recommend jumping straight into Human Action. It may be challenging, but I think sometimes that is often the better path to success in learning. It's a book I started reading 2 years ago and still am in fact, due to the slow, systematic pace I decided to take with it, as upon reading I deduced it was a book better studied than simply read. Hence I have not advanced a chapter without making notes on the knowledge gained, arguments made and theorems deduced.
Human Action is an incredibly dense and rich book, while incredibly clear and succinct, despite its size. As a physicist I really appreciate this, never having been a fan of long flowery writing. If you want a comparison, it's like Lev Landau writing on Economics.
abskebabs:It's a book I started reading 2 years ago and still am in fact, due to the slow, systematic pace I decided to take with it, as upon reading I deduced it was a book better studied than simply read. Hence I have not advanced a chapter without making notes on the knowledge gained, arguments made and theorems deduced.
I find that highly admirable.
David Z: Conza88: It was recommended I read Rothbards Man, Economy and State before HA. Rothbard is more clear. Indeed, Rothbard is more readable than Mises or Hayek, both of whom write very much in the Austrian/German tradition. They are exceedingly precise and formal. To many native English speakers, this comes off as too dry, too technical, etc.
HA seems to be the perfect mix of conciseness, preciseness, and formal. I guess I have become an academic.
As for the question "Should I buy Human Action?"
Always buy Human Action!!!! :p
The appeal to "charity" is a truly ironic one. First, it is hardly "charity" to take wealth by force and hand it over to someone else. -Rothbard
I didn't find Human Action to be a difficult read at all, having only read snippets of Rothbard, Hazlitt, Bastiat, Block, etc. beforehand. It can be a little hard to get into, as he spends a good amount of pages defining praxeology before getting into the "exciting" stuff, but after that I found it easy and enjoyable. Personally, I've found Mises to be an easier read than Rothbard.
My recommendation: read Mises' Profit and Loss. That's what pushed me to spend the money on Human Action (that and the sale going on at the time). If it doesn't give you any trouble, I would strongly consider taking the plunge.
Happy birthday to you. My 23rd is coming up in a few days, and I still can't decide which books I want.
"I am a sinner who does not expect forgiveness - but I am not a government official." - Francis Wolcott, Deadwood
I find Mises to be quite readable.
I'd say go for it. It may be difficult to read due to the fact that it's writer was Austrian, and its language is dated, but it is a great source of growth of learning. I've just started on it myself, and I am only two years older. I do find parts of it very dry and technical; I wish his stytle were more animated. But, there is a great deal to learn.
I would recommend not buying the book. Instead, I would recommend you just listen to the media online on this website. I usually advise against audio books because they're hard to pay attention to but for something like this you kind of have to. I can't imagine reading something this long myself.
SilentXtarian: I would recommend not buying the book. Instead, I would recommend you just listen to the media online on this website. I usually advise against audio books because they're hard to pay attention to but for something like this you kind of have to. I can't imagine reading something this long myself.
Lord of the Rings is longer and The Dark Tower series is almost 4k pages long.
Vitor: SilentXtarian: I would recommend not buying the book. Instead, I would recommend you just listen to the media online on this website. I usually advise against audio books because they're hard to pay attention to but for something like this you kind of have to. I can't imagine reading something this long myself. Lord of the Rings is longer and The Dark Tower series is almost 4k pages long.
That's for fantasy though. There's a huge difference between the fiction/fantasy/sci-fi genre and the non-fiction genre. Books in the non-fiction genres usually take longer to read. Of course that's just my personal opinion.
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