Political Theory

As an exciting year comes to a close, we want to thank all of our incredible members that allow us to do the work we do in advancing Austrian economics, freedom, and peace.

In December 1914, is an event the official histories of the “Great War” ignore, British and German Soldiers came out of their trenches and celebrated Christmas together. One soldier later observed, "Never ... was I so keenly aware of the insanity of war.”

In his new book Political Illiberalism Peter Simpson poses a fundamental challenge to John Rawls’s Political Liberalism. Though Simpson cannot be classified as a libertarian, his bold arguments will be of great use to all of us who oppose the state.

This week, the Federal Reserve raised the target Federal Funds Rate ever so slightly. The Fed perhaps felt it had to raise rates to protect its credibility, as credibility problems seem to be plaguing similar institutions worldwide.

The biggest technology problem we face today is not the rise of technology in the private sector. New technologies only improve worker productivity and wealth accumulation. The real problem is in the many ways that the state will use technology against us.

In a capitalist world, socialists would be free to form their own socialist communities. They're largely free to do so now, although few do. This may be due to the fact that even the utopian version of socialism seems unpleasant.

In the latest episode of Mises Weekends, Jeff Deist and Yuri Maltsev discuss Socialism, Fascism, and Trumpism.

Jeff Deist and Yuri Maltsev discuss Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and Western progressives' silly and enduring love affair with socialism.

It is remarkable, since Simpson is no libertarian, that his views on the state converge so substantially with views some libertarians have long defended.

Government failure was being felt everywhere this week, from the massive law-enforcement failure in Sen Bernardino to the crumbling economy in Brazil. Meanwhile, government tells us it only needs a little more money, power, and time to solve all problems.