Summing up the work of libertarian economist and historian Murray N. Rothbard (1926–1995) and noting its stunning range, philosopher David Gordon once wondered “if there are really three, four, or five geniuses writing under his name.” The lively essays collected in The Irrepressible Rothbard display one of those geniuses: Rothbard the journalist,
This high-school text, published in May 2000, is aimed at teaching the intelligent young reader how to think about economic problems in a manner consistent with the Austrian School tradition. Its chapters on action, preference, demand and supply, value theory, money, and price controls emphasize deductive logic, the market process, and the
Taking for granted the fact that the hippie was part of a diverse group we called “hippies” who, in his varied states of mind, could not be counted upon to think or act like other hippies, there was, and still is, a certain type of hippie, a “hippie with a philosophy,” who actually lived the communal life. The philosophy of the communal hippie was
The great debate between Capitalism and Socialism has been settled, but we continue to experience an ever-expanding management of the U.S. economy, which itself is a form of socialism. Mises wrote in Socialism : “It is the aim of Socialism to transfer the means of production from private ownership to the ownership of the State.” Socialism, as
“The liberals of the eighteenth century were filled with a boundless optimism. Mankind is rational, which permits the right opinion to emerge in the end. Light will replace darkness Democracy with its freedom of thought, speech and press assures the success of the right doctrine. Let the masses decide; they will choose wiselyNobody would now
On December 31st, 1930, White Motors’ balance sheet reported cash of $8.5 million, receivables and merchandise of $15 million and net fixed assets of $14 million. Less liabilities of $1.3 million, the company had a net worth position of $36.2 million. The company’s stock price was trading between $7 and $8 per share. At the 12/31 close, the stock
Americans are concerned about the rising cost of pharmaceutical drugs. This has drawn the attention of writers, politicians, and others who have attempted to deal with the issue in typical fashion by advocating the use of government force to implement their plan. No exception to the general rule, Kathleen Day, a media fellow at the Kaiser Family
News Item: GOP Vice presidential pick Richard Cheney...from White House chief of staff for President Gerald R. Ford at age 34 through five terms in Congress to secretary of defense to his current tenure as chairman and chief executive officer of Halliburton Co. which is “working directly with nationalized oil companies around the world to develop
In many countries interventionism has so undermined the supremacy of the market that it is more advantageous for a businessman to rely upon the aid of those in political office than upon the best satisfaction of the needs of the consumers.” Ludwig von Mises, Human Action p. 310 (Scholar’s Edition) In a free market where property rights are
Statism is the primary theme of this year’s election. The political issues of the day are all approached from the interventionist point of view. For George Bush and Al Gore, it is not a matter of whether government should be running a social security scheme or not. It is only a matter of how government might save it. In the realm of health care,
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.