Do Austrians “Hate Math”?
Being a former academic myself, I have many unpleasant memories of endless debates over methodology. Among these topics is the question of how quantitative methods ought to be used in economics, and when it is appropriate (if ever) for use in
The Media Wants You to Trust Washington Again Now That Trump Is Gone
Perhaps reporter Michelle Kosinski is unaware that the Trump-era secrecy she denounced flourished mightily thanks to the beloved Obama administration. Kosinski’s mindset also helps explain why Americans' trust in the media has collapsed. Original Article: "The Media Wants You to Trust
How the Fed Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Easy Money
In this selection from chapter 19 of Reassessing the Presidency (newly available as an ebook from the Mises Store), Joseph Salerno examines one example of how the Federal Reserve and U.S. presidents work together to expand
Does Bitcoin Use “Too Much” Electricity?
US senator Elizabeth Warren claimed last week that bitcoin uses too much electricity. In doing so, she makes a judgment about the "correct" amount of electricity use. But it raises the question of who is entitled to make such a judgment. It’s
Orwell’s Despair: Nineteen Eighty-four and the Critique of the Teleocratic State
This paper, I examine aspects of Orwell’s political thought as expressed in Nineteen Eighty-four. I focus on the novel as an exploration of the logic of the conception of the modern state as a teleocracy or managerial enterprise, a concept
I, Joy
Unfortunately, this oldest and most general result of the theory of social phenomena [viz., the spontaneous coordination of individual efforts] has never been given a title which would secure it an adequate and permanent place in our thinking. The limitations
Why Fungibility Is Important in Understanding Money and Crypto
One of the most in-demand aspects of physical cash is that it is totally fungible. Every dollar is the same as every dollar. But cryptocurrencies can leave a digital trail which may lead to later problems in fungibility. Original Article: "Why
Mark Twain’s Little Societies of Exchange
Samuel Clemens was an old-style liberal of the 19th century sort who believed in economic liberty and warned about the depredations of state power. The failure of many critics to understand the old liberal perspective may be part of the
Family Economics: Specialization versus the Division of Labor
The family provides enormous economic advantages to daily life and civilization as a whole. But the extended and even nuclear family have been eroding thanks to changes in government policy, economic trends, and culture. In this article, I highlight how
A Review Essay of Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement by Brian Doherty
The outstanding merit of Brian Doherty’s book is that it contains a treasure trove of valuable information regarding the events, personalities, periodicals and organizations whose complex interplay influenced the intellectual and institutional development of the modern American libertarian movement. But