Political Theory

Human action really is different from the physical sciences, says Gene Callahan. Collecting data and testing results doesn't tell you want you want to know.

From the interview: "The state and the market are incompatible institutions. One exists only to the detriment of the other. That is why there will always be a struggle between power and liberty, and may liberty be the victor in the end."

The country is permanently divided between two classes of voters, but Calhoun saw the way out, says Thomas DiLorenzo

The 2000 election may be a turning point in the unraveling of our overmighty rulers. In the meantime, it's good clean fun for those watching from the sidelines.

It's time to rethink presidential mythology, says William Anderson. 

The first presidents were appointed, not elected. Not until the rise of Andrew Jackson in the 1820s did popular voting have a role in the selection of presidents.

Another outstanding book from the pen of Forrest McDonald, reviewed by Joseph Stromberg, debunks the historical claims of the consolidationists. 

The direct election of Senators consolidated government power and left the states without representation, says John MacMullin.

Elections don't choose society's authentic leaders. Real leaders emerge from within the ranks of voluntary sector of society, says William Anderson. 

The secret of the state's rise was the separation of the ruler from the organization, says Martin van Creveld, who also predicts the state's demise.