January 18 marks the birth of Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu. Robert Wokler called Montesquieu “perhaps the most central thinker of the enlightenment.” He was also an important influence on America’s founders, particularly his argument that a separation of powers was necessary for liberty to be maintained — so much so that one
Earlier this month, I happened upon the fact that February 19 is the anniversary of Garet Garrett’s 1878 birth. I had read little of his writing, but I had been impressed by a quote of his about individualism: “In principle, I believe that the less we act upon the lives of others for good or evil — the less the better. Each one saves himself or he
March 16 marks James Madison’s birthday. He was “the father of the Constitution”; no one had a greater hand in constructing and interpreting the highest law of our land. His understanding is especially important today, given how far we have moved away from the very limited government the Constitution authorized and toward one that continually
One of the hallmarks of many early economists was their opposition to protectionism. They saw that taking away options that both parties to a trade preferred harmed them, eliminating the gains that would otherwise have been created. Yet America (historically the world’s largest exporter of free-trade rhetoric), despite widespread recognition among
July 25 marks the 1902 birth of Eric Hoffer, known as the “longshoreman philosopher” for the manual labor he performed for most of his life. In eleven books, beginning with The True Believer , the Presidential Medal of Freedom winner focused on the allure of a seemingly ennobling collective cause, and the often tyrannically employed coercive power
Justice Stevens’ forthcoming retirement from the Supreme Court has triggered instant buzz and opposition research in Washington, beginning with the short list passed over for Sonia Sotomayor. But the focus on politics has crowded out almost all discussion of our founders’ intent for America and the implications for interpreting the Constitution
Having grown up near a rain forest on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, with friends I have visited during “monsoon seasons” in Florida and elsewhere, I’ve seen rain before, and even have some idea of what to do when it happens. But I have now lived for years in Southern California, where heavy rain causes more panic than the prospect of “The Big
Whenever political correctness fades from the headlines, another example pops up. The latest installment comes from Washington State Senate President pro tem Rosa Franklin. She has proposed replacing 54 references to “at risk” or “disadvantaged” children in state law with the term “at hope,” so negative labels won’t undermine their ability to
The Los Angeles Times has given me a case of déjà vu. It recently (February 6) ran an opinion piece titled “Food stamp fight,” by history professors Lisa Levenstein and Jennifer Mittelstadt, that had a distinctly familiar ring to it. Their justification included several arguments for why “food stamps are essential” to America. They claimed that
What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.