Volume 1: Economics, Philosophy, Law
Volume 2: Political Theory
Volume 3: Current Affairs, Foreign Policy, American History, European History
Review by Paul Gottfried
David Gordon, from the Foreword:
Shortly after Murray Rothbard’s lamented death in January, 1995, Lew Rockwell telephoned me. He asked me to write a book review journal for the Mises Institute, covering new books in philosophy, history, politics, and economics. Moreover, he wanted the first issue in one month. I managed to meet the deadline and continued to write the journal for a number of years. Articles from The Mises Review form the bulk of the material included in these volumes; but a few reviews from other sources are here as well. Ever since I first read Man, Economy, and State in 1962, I have been a convinced Rothbardian, and it is from this standpoint that I have written my articles.
David Gordon is Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute and editor of the Mises Review.
In this week’s Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon reviews John C. Calhoun’s A Disquisition on Government, published in 1850. Like Murray Rothbard before him, Dr. Gordon finds plenty to like in this book.
Reading this book confirms Charles Tansill’s emendation of a familiar saying: “The paths of military glory lead but to the grave.” When one considers the horrors of war for the combatants, Rothbard’s argument that the costs of war are virtually never worth paying is strengthened.
In today's Friday Philosophy, Dr. David Gordon revisits The Calculus of Consent by James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock, considered a "classic" by mainstream economists. Murray Rothbard, however, dissented loudly.
