John Maynard Keynes once wrote that “the ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some
It is vitally important to view action as purposeful behavior as this view leads to the exposure of fundamental elements of social cooperation governing all of human existence. The role of the individual in society, the importance of private property, peaceful and secure coexistence, and the search for maximum capacity all extend from the moment
Hesiod, Democritus, Xenophon, and Aristotle provided significant insights into economic theory through praxeological deduction. Stoic thought presents a coherent notion of natural law. Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Pao Chingyen, and Ssu-ma Chíien, Taoists in Ancient China, provide insight into the spontaneous order of the market and the effects of
There is a stock character in fiction, particularly science fiction, who might be called the Immortal. Whether he be vampire or angel, alien or just some everyman blessed — or cursed — with Methuselah-like longevity, certain traits define the Immortal. He is polite, generous, even kind, but also resigned to the fact that life is often none of
Sweden’s Pirate Party has won entry to the European Parliament in Brussels in elections held Sunday. The Pirate Party gained 7 percent of the Swedish votes and secured at least one of the 18 seats that Sweden holds in the parliament. “Citizens have understood that it’s time to pull the fist out of the pocket and that you can make a difference,”
http://consultingbyrpm.com/blog/2009/07/big-picture.html While it’s fun, geeky, and necessary to argue about credit vs. money , I think we should also occasionally take a big step back and look at the broad themes. In a recent post , I said that the best way to predict what was coming--and how to protect your household--was to imagine that you
Rep. Alan Grayson Questions Fed Inspector General Elizabeth Coleman on the $9 trillion in off-balance sheet transactions. Elizabeth Coleman: “We are in not a position to say if there are losses.” Grayson concluded, “I am shocked to find out that nobody at the Federal Reserve, including the inspector general, is keeping track of this.” The
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.