It was a fundamental mistake . . . to interpret economics as the characterization of the behavior of an ideal type, the homo oeconomicus. According to this doctrine economics does not deal with the behavior of man as he really is and acts, but with a fictitious or hypothetical image. It is simply a tool for central planners.
From a Rothbardian point of view, there is more to be said in favor of natural rights than Ryn allows. But Ryn is an interesting and insightful thinker and if readers are not wholly in agreement with him, they will find an ally on many levels.
Welcome to the first issue of The Misesian. We’ve decided to rename The Austrian magazine to emphasize how Ludwig von Mises remains at the center of everything that is today called the Austrian School of economics.
The importance of this treatise lies primarily in its clear demonstration that the interventionist state is at the root of Western society’s increasingly loathsome, self-destructive, and stingy culture. The author has given a gift of new economic knowledge. Bravo, Professor!
Milton Friedman’s commitment to statistical analysis led him vehemently to oppose the economics of Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek, whom he regarded as the purveyors of a priori, “unscientific” theorizing.
State-provided gratuitousness is not only sterile but positively harmful, the exact opposite of the gratuitous goods provided by free and responsible citizens. The truth is that generosity and abundance flourish in a free economy.
