The true test of civilization is, not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops — no, but the kind of man the country turns out. — Ralph Waldo Emerson In case any reader still clings to the platitude that the American political system is based on the proposition that ours is “a society of laws, and not of men,” I urge you to pay close
I am amazed at the absence of reasoning found in the responses of many lawyers, law professors, political philosophers, and media opiners on the topic of political secession. As with political discussions generally, debate on this issue originates from either an individualistic or collectivist perspective. Those whose basic premises are
Half a century ago, as I was struggling to articulate a social and political philosophy with which my inner voices could find approval, I discovered one of my earliest introductions to what has since come to be known as libertarian thought. I had read – and enjoyed – classical philosophers John Locke, John Stuart Mill, the Stoics, and others who
[December 13, 2004] My interest in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol began one Christmas eve when, as a small child, my parents turned on network radio to listen to what, even then, had become a classic Christmas eve festivity: Lionel Barrymore’s presentation of the Dickens story. Radio was a medium that required the imagination to paint scenes
[Speech given at The Economic Recovery: Washington’s Big Lie , the Supporters Summit for the Ludwig von Mises Institute, October 8, 2010.] When I first offered this title for my talk, it was suggested that I add the question “how do we know when the state is lying?” I don’t know if this was an effort to limit my presentation to 30 seconds, for I
[ In Restraint of Trade (2008)] Until relatively recent times, the symbiotic relationship existing between economic and political institutions has only been vaguely comprehended. It has been popular to view these two major sectors of American society as having a generally antagonistic relationship, with political institutions serving as a
[ Editor’s Note: Now available in the Mises Store, Butler Shaffer’s A Libertarian Critique of Intellectual Property is a new monograph on intellectual property exploring the topics of patents, copyrights, creativity, common law, science, and organizational complexity. The following is a selection from the book. ] The proposition that business
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.