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Economics

How the Market Might Have Handled Katrina:                                                     Dr. Robert P. Murphy                                                                                                         May 31, 2006:
Dr. Robert P. Murphy examines the root of FEMA's and other government agencies' dismal failure to handle the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. Dr. Murphy attributes this failure not to any malice on the part of government, but to the inevitable calculation problem plaguing all government interventions with the economy. Had the free market been allowed to handle the crisis, the results would have been far more efficient; Dr. Murphy explains why in this essay.  

Trade is Mutually Beneficial:                                                                                   G. Stolyarov II                                                                                                                       June 1, 2006:
Mr. Stolyarov explains the benefits trade offers to all parties involved and trade's superiority over alternative systems of coercion and sacrifice. Trade encourages productivity, is in itself productive, and cultivates prudence, virtue, and peace. It is essential to the capitalist system-- the only system which gives individuals incentives to produce and cooperate with others.

 

So Economics Isn't Enough, Huh?:

Dr. Robert P. Murphy                                                                                                         June 6, 2006:

New "psychological" economics might claim to have discovered something new in overturning "orthodox economic principles," but in fact its discoveries are ideas that Austrian economists have known all along-- ideas that do not require psychology or empirical studies to understand and verify. Dr. Robert P. Murphy explains why contemporary criticisms of mainstream economic models do not refute orthodox economic principles.

 

Filosofy

 

Lao Tzu's Naturalistic Metaphysics, Ethics, and Politics:                                      Dr. Edward W. Younkins                                                                                                     May 31, 2006:
Despite the negatives of Lao Tzu's Daoism-- including his aversion to willful individual action, technological progress, and high culture-- Lao Tzu's political views were remarkable in their advocacy of government inaction in the face of social problems. Rather, Lao Tzu believed that rulers should leave their citizens be-- and all shall be prosperous. Dr. Edward W. Younkins explains the fundamentals of this ancient Chinese thinker's ideas in this essay.  

 

Reflections on the Present State of the Republic of Letters (1760):

Jean Le Rond d'Alembert

June 3, 2006:

In the first ever Internet version of this essay, prominent Enlightenment thinker-- Jean Le Rond d'Alembert-- defends the Enlightenment philosophes against critics who labeled them subversive or immoral. This blend of witty satire and serious argument demolishes the attacks of all those who loathe independent, decent minds.

 

Historical Analysis

 

The Human Mind Emerged from Barbarism (1751):

Jean Le Rond d'Alembert

June 3, 2006:

In the first ever Internet version of this introduction to the famous French Encyclopédie, a prominent Enlightenment thinker-- Jean Le Rond d'Alembert-- discusses the principal intellectual influences of the Enlightenment-- Bacon, Descartes, Newton, and Locke-- and how these colossal individuals transitioned Western civilization from an age of barbarism into the Age of Enlightenment.

 

Politics

 

Playing the God-Card:

Chuck Baldwin

June 2, 2006:

Christian conservatives should stop voting for politicians who loudly proclaim their religiosity but at the same time undermine the Constitutional bases of American government-- politicians which predominate in today's Republican Party. Instead, writes Chuck Baldwin, Christian conservatives should emfasize adherence to the Constitution above the private religious views of a politician.

 

Throw the U. N. on the Ash Heap of History:

Alan Caruba

June 4, 2006:

The United Nations has shown to be as ineffectual as its predecessor-- the League of Nations-- writes Alan Caruba. Furthermore, the organization is an irreparably corrupt obstacle to justice and American sovereignty. The United States should withdraw from the U. N. and form a new international organization consisting solely of free countries. 

 

The Annual Foreign Aid Rip-Off:

Rep. Ron Paul, M. D.

June 6, 2006:

The U. S. government has increased its foreign aid budget--again. Foreign aid is immoral and inappropriate, because it coerces taxpayers and rewards inefficient foreign governments and corporations at the expense of free markets, writes Rep. Ron Paul.

 

Mediocrity Reigns Supreme: Congressional Hot Air Substitutes for Energy Policy:

Paul Driessen

June 6, 2006:

Why is the price of oil so high and rising? It is not because of actual oil shortages. Rather, writes Paul Driessen, it is because of government regulations and restrictions on more efficient oil production.

 

"The rapid progress the sciences now make, occasions my regrets sometimes that I was born so soon. It is impossible to imagine the heights to which may be carried in a hundred years the power of man over matter... All diseases may by sure means be prevented or cured, not excepting even that of old age, and our lives lengthened at pleasure even beyond the antediluvian standard."  

~ Benjamin Franklin