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Economics

 

Economics and the Revolt Against Reason (1949):

Ludwig von Mises

June 19, 2007:

Ludwig von Mises writes that the revolt against reason, the characteristic mental attitude of our age, was not caused by a lack of modesty, caution, and self-examination on the part of the philosophers. Neither was it due to failures in the evolution of modern natural science. The amazing achievements of technology and therapeutics speak a language which nobody can ignore. It is hopeless to attack modern science, whether from the angle of intuitionism and mysticism, or from any other point of view. The revolt against reason was directed against another target. It did not aim at the natural sciences, but at economics. The attack against the natural sciences was only the logically necessary outcome of the attack against economics. It was impermissible to dethrone reason in one field only and not to question it in other branches of knowledge also.

 

Introduction to Time Will Run Back (1966):

Henry Hazlitt

June 19, 2007:

Henry Hazlitt was uniquely qualified to write the first and only novel in which the problem of economic calculation provides the central plot theme. Time Will Run Back — which has been out of print for a very long time but which is now available online (in PDF) — is unique in other respects. Few people in the 1950s imagined that communism would fall of its own dead weight, but Hazlitt understood what others did not. He also saw that a mixed system would fail of its own internal contradictions. This book thus teaches economics in a special way that is accessible to people of all ages, but to teens in particular because the story is fictional.

 

Ethics

 

"Human Rights" as Property Rights:

Dr. Murray N. Rothbard

June 19, 2007:

Liberals generally wish to preserve the concept of "rights" for such "human" rights as freedom of speech, while denying the concept to private property. Dr. Murray argues that on the contrary, the concept of "rights" only makes sense as property rights. For not only are there no human rights which are not also property rights, but the former rights lose their absoluteness and clarity and become fuzzy and vulnerable when property rights are not used as the standard.

 

Knowledge, True and False:

Dr. Murray N. Rothbard

June 19, 2007:

Dr. Murray Rothbard uses his theory of property rights to argue against laws prohibiting blackmail and libel -- demonstrating how such laws actually have negative effects on the victims of immoral threats and gossip.

 

The Ethics of Bribery:

Dr. Murray N. Rothbard

June 19, 2007:

In the case of bribes, Dr. Murray Rothbard uses the theory of property rights to argue that there is nothing illegitimate about the briber, but there is much that is illegitimate about the bribee, the taker of the bribe. Legally, there should be a property right to pay a bribe, but not to take one. It is only the taker of a bribe who should be prosecuted.

 

Fiction

 

What's Up? Quite a Few Things!:

G. Stolyarov II

June 19, 2007:

The conventional response to the question "What's up?" is blatantly untrue and reveals a strongly destructive sense of life. In this short story, Mr. Stolyarov shows how a genuine truth-seeker would answer such an inquiry.

 

Historical Analysis

 

An Integrated View of the American Historical Debates on Interpreting the Constitution:

G. Stolyarov II

June 19, 2007:

It is a mistake to think that debates on the meaning and proper interpretation of the U. S. Constitution are settled. Historically, a number of eminent thinkers have suggested a wide variety of approaches toward this important founding document. Mr. Stolyarov presents a view of constitutional interpretation that picks from the best American history has to offer.

 

The Ideas of America's Founders: Problems and Principles for Creating a Republic:

G. Stolyarov II

June 19, 2007:

When embarking on creating the American republic, the Founding Fathers faced a distinct set of problems which they needed to overcome in order to make the new Constitution work. They were also animated by innovative principles that aided them in overcoming the difficulties they perceived. Mr. Stolyarov describes both of these facets of the American Founding.

 

The Ideas of America's Founders: The Separation of Powers:

G. Stolyarov II

June 19, 2007:

Mr. Stolyarov discusses a principle the Founding Fathers saw as the political truth of greatest value: the separation of powers. The founders designed a government to prevent the accumulation of all power -- executive, legislative, and judicial -- in the same hands.

 

Politics

 

Earmark Victory May Be a Hollow One:

Rep. Ron Paul, M. D.

June 19, 2007:

Last week's big battle on the House floor over earmarks in the annual appropriations bills was won by Republicans, who succeeded in getting the Democratic leadership to agree to clearly identify each earmark in the future. While this is certainly a victory for more transparency and openness in the spending process, and as such should be applauded, Rep. Ron Paul is concerned that this may not necessarily be a victory for those of us who want a smaller federal government.

 

"Civilization advances by extending the number of important observations which we can perform without thinking about them. Operations of thought are like cavalry charges in a battle--they are strictly limited in number, they require fresh horses, and must only be made at decisive moments."

 

~ A. N. Whitehead