[Excerpted from It's a Jetsons World (2011). An MP3 audio file of this article, narrated by Steven Ng, is available for download.] Ludwig von Mises summed up the essence of government in words that are particularly vivid in wartime: Government
Philosophy 
Libertarianism and Science Fiction: What’s the Connection?
[Originally posted on mises.org, Friday, February 11th, 2011. Transcribed from the Libertarian Tradition podcastepisode "Libertarian Science Fiction"] One day in the late spring of 1951, something rather astonishing happened in an otherwise nondescript shopping district in a medium-sized city somewhere
The Lorax and Private Property
With Dr. Seuss’ classic book The Lorax making its way to U.S. theaters March 2, 2012, now is a good time to address some of the positions the children’s tale takes in regard to environmentalism and industrial production. The Lorax
Equality: The Unknown Ideal
[The following lecture was presented during the Philosophy of Liberty Conference at the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, Saturday, September 29, 2001. Posted on mises.org] All men are created equal. When Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence,
Mises and Free Love
Quite a Valentine’s Day-esque controversy has erupted over Mises’ stance toward birth control and feminism over the past week. The affair began when Mike Konczal of the Roosevelt Institute, writing under the pseudonym rortybomb, took libertarians to task by pointing
Are Libertarians “Anarchists”?
[This article was written in the mid-1950s under the byline "Aubrey Herbert," a pseudonym Rothbard used in the periodical Faith and Freedom. It was never published. Originally posted on Mises.org] The libertarian who is happily engaged expounding his political philosophy
San Fran Fed Finds Problem with Econometric Multipliers
Despite the obvious bias which engulfs the incestual working relationship between the Federal Reserve System, the U.S. financial sector, and the U.S. government, occasionally some grains of truth trickle out from these Ministries of Truth. In a new report by
Worship of the Mob
[Originally posted on mises.org, January 30th, 2012] Several months ago, I was visiting some friends in Sydney and was invited to the house of a friend-of-a-friend for some late night drinks and a chat. My host and his friends were left-wing
War, Peace, and the State
["War, Peace, and the State." The Standard, April 1963, pp. 2-5; 15-16, and Egalitarianism as a Revolt Against Nature and Other Essays, R.A. Child, Jr., Ed., Washington: Libertarian Review Press, 1974; 2nd edition, Auburn, Alabama: Mises Institute, 2000, pp. 115-132.
Liberalism vs. Fascism
Fascism differs from its close cousins, Communism and aristocratic conservatism, in several important ways. To understand these differences is to see how classical liberalism offers a completely different view of social and economic organization, a perspective that departs radically from
The Libertarian Immigration Conundrum
The pre-1914 world saw no immigration issues or policies, and no real border controls. Instead, there was free movement in the real sense; there were no questions asked, people were treated respectfully and one did not even need official documents
Elections and the Illusion of Choice
The political season has unleashed its predictable frenzy, much to delight of people who make a living off it. But to what end? There are only two types of politicians who end up holding office, wrote H.L. Mencken: “first, glorified
The Rationale for Total Privatization
[Published in Libertarian Papers 2011] I have three goals. First, I want to clarify the nature and function of private property. Second, I want to clarify the distinction between “common” goods and property and “public” goods and property, and explain
Chomsky’s Augustinian Anarchism
Noam Chomsky is perhaps the United States’ best-known anarchist. There’s a certain irony to this, however; for just as St. Augustine once prayed, “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet,†Chomsky’s aim is in effect anarchy, but not yet.
The Mantle of Science
[Originally published in Scientism and Values, Helmut Schoeck and James W. Wiggins, eds. (Princeton, N.J.: D. Van Nostrand), 1960, pp.159-180; The Logic of Action One: Method, Money, and the Austrian School (Cheltenham UK: Edward Elgar, 1997), pp. 3-23. Also available
Excerpts of Gary North’s Marx’s Religion of Revolution
[Excerpts selected by Ross Harrison. Read his review of North's book, Marx's Religion of Revolution, here.] The cosmology of chaos Both for the production on a mass scale of this communist consciousness, and for the success of the cause itself
A Review of Gary North’s Marx’s Religion of Revolution
[For readers who want to go beyond a mere review, a full copy of Marx’s Religion of Revolution is available at http://www.entrewave.com/freebooks/docs/a_pdfs/gnmr.pdf] From its very inception, in the highly scientistic[i] nineteenth century, Marxist Communism has presented itself as perhaps the
Why Mises (and not Hayek)?
In Response to the discussion raging I thought I would post this talk given by HHH in Vienna at the Mises Institute Supporters Summit. Redmond is the director of the Ludwig von Mises Institute of Canada.
Minarchists, What’s Their Excuse?
“… the State claims and exercises the monopoly of crime …. It forbids private murder, but itself organizes murder on a colossal scale. It punishes private theft, but itself lays unscrupulous hands on anything it wants, whether the property of
New Comments on Mises Canada