The Place of Economics in Learning

Ludwig von Mises

“The Place of Economics in Learning” is a chapter from Human Action. It provides an excellent overview of the Misesian worldview concerning economics. It touches on enough points — methodologically, educationally, politically — to invite and inspire further reading. It is a good introduction.

 

Meet the Author
Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig von Mises

Ludwig von Mises was the acknowledged leader of the Austrian school of economic thought, a prodigious originator in economic theory, and a prolific author. Mises’s writings and lectures encompassed economic theory, history, epistemology, government, and political philosophy. His contributions to economic theory include important clarifications on the quantity theory of money, the theory of the trade cycle, the integration of monetary theory with economic theory in general, and a demonstration that socialism must fail because it cannot solve the problem of economic calculation. Mises was the first scholar to recognize that economics is part of a larger science in human action, a science that he called praxeology.

Mises Daily Ludwig von Mises
There is only one way that leads to an improvement of the standard of living for the wage-earning masses, viz., the increase in the amount of capital invested. All other methods, however popular they may be, are not only futile, but are actually detrimental to the well-being of those they allegedly want to benefit.
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References

Mises, Ludwig von, “The Place of Economics in Learning,” in Human Action (Auburn, Ala.: Mises Institute, 1998), chap. 38, pp. 863–876.