2003 was, as most years are, a mixed bag for freedom in the world. But for those who believe that ideas matter, one of the year’s brightest spots was the publication of an English translation of Benjamin Constant’s 1810 Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments by Liberty Fund . Largely informed by the Scottish Enlightenment,
The EPA is proposing to take Love Canal off its Superfund cleanup list . That has led some to blow Superfund’s horn and get in one more shot at “evil” business polluters. For instance, the Los Angeles Times editorialized that Love Canal was “a successful cleanup, rightly paid for by polluter Hooker Chemical Co (now Occidental Chemical Corp.) and a
Having to do your taxes is always a mournful occasion, as we all know. But having to do them during an election year is an even sadder experience. Not only do you struggle with forms and documentation that have no inherent reason, and have to pay an amount far beyond what reason would dictate, you are also constantly bombarded with by political
English philosopher Herbert Spencer may have best analyzed the importance of appropriate limits on what should be subject to democracy, particularly in his 1857 “ Representative Government—What is it Good For ?” To honor his April 27, 1820, birthday, his insights merit repeating. Spencer spelled out the infirmities of governments when it came to
Graduation season is in full swing. The famous and generous are giving graduates words of wisdom about what they now face in the “real world.” The best provide real insight, but many fail to go beyond platitudes. And having attended many graduations, I have a guess as to why. It is very difficult to impart universal insights from humanity’s
May marks both the birth (May 20, 1806) and death (May 8, 1873) of one of the leading advocates of liberalism in the 19th century: John Stuart Mill. Of his works, perhaps the most important was On Liberty , in 1859. It dealt with “the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual.” Because we now
May 29th marks the birthday in 1736 of Patrick Henry, America’s “Orator of Liberty.” His “ Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death “ speech in March 1775 was the spark that ignited the Revolution in Virginia, and continues to serve as a battle cry for all who seek to overthrow tyrants. But the influence of “The Voice of the Revolution” was greater than
Today the Supreme Court will hear Granholm v. Heald, to determine whether a state that allows in-state wineries to ship directly to consumers can ban similar shipments from out-of-state. ( Here is a news story .) The Constitutional issue will hang on questions that would put most Americans to sleep. However, wine drinkers have a serious stake in
Each July 4th, Americans celebrate the “birthday” of the Declaration of Independence. But little is ever said on August 29th about another birthday--that of John Locke, in 1632, without whom the Declaration of Independence as we know it would not exist. Locke’s 1689 Second Treatise on Government was the origin of so much of the reasoning and
Russ Roberts, in a recent blog on the wonders of saran wrap refers us to his cheers for the virtues of cardboard boxes and their tremendous lowering of transportation costs. In the same vein, Thomas Sowell points out in his book Race and Culture : “...in mid nineteenth century America, before the transcontinental railroad was built, San Francisco
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.