C.J. Maloney reviews The Quotable Mises, and finds it to be an incredible collection of stunning insight from a brilliant scholar who cared more for truth than his own career. Mises was a gentleman scholar, highly intelligent; and one of the best men history has to offer. He was also completely unsuited for widespread popular or professional acceptance, precisely because he lacked that common trait: the urge to re-make the world in his favorite image at gunpoint. [FULL ARTICLE]
Source link: http://blog.mises.org/4410/mises-on-everything/
Mises on Everything
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{ 12 comments }
Nice review. One small nitpick — the quote “I’m free to do what I want any old time” was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The Soup Dragons’ rendition is better, but they didn’t write it. The original version of the song is on the (excellent) album _December’s Children_.
Very stupid review. False about common man and science.
Mises: “Power is evil in itself, regardless of who exercises it.”
Maloney: “It is rarely noted that all human beings are extremely vulnerable to the lure of [political] power and its attendant corruption of the human spirit. Very few thinkers have ever realized this, almost always dreaming of what they would do if they got their hands on the levers of power.”
These are great truths, well spoken.
Those who advocate some form of coercive state (on this blog, at least) do so always with the best intentions. What must be born in mind is even the worst despots and tyrants of history believed oppressive coercion was to be used for the greater good; their idea of the greater good, that is. Corruption and political power are inextricably intertwined.
I think the difficulty is with what is proper for violent enforcement and what is not. Where-ever that line is, I think it is agreed that a dispersion of power is the practical way to prevent it from being corrupted. God may have made man, but Smith and Wesson made him equal.
A wonderfully written review. Maloney has done a fine job here of capturing the uncommon decency of Mises as well as his essential accessibility. Though Mises’ writing may seem difficult compared to See Spot Run, compared to Hegel, Gadamer, Keynes, Marx or any number of other much celebrated intellectuals Mises’ writing has the distinction of being entirely clear in what he is saying. I can only hope that Maloney’s review will lead readers to actually sit down with Mises’ books. Clarity in thought and writing is a joy to read!
A fun and thought provoking review. Anyone that has an appreciation for Mises and The Pixies gets my vote! (And I thought that I was the only one who listens to “punk” music and reads Mises, Rothbard, Rockwell and Hoppe.)
I’ve read a few book reviews from Maloney and they are just as entertaining. Take for example his review of The Conquest of American Inflation by Thomas Sargent.
As an Austro-libertarian and high school economics teacher who has to follow the California state curriculum which adheres to neo-classical economics, I start off most of my classes with a quote from Mises to set the record straight. Now with The Quotable Mises, I can require my classes to read it. What a simple way to bring Mises to the masses!
Keith Gerrick,
The quote you start your classes with, is it the one at the head of your website ? If not, what quote do you use ?
Regards
Dom,
I try to use a different quote before each of the five classes I teach everyday. So I try to gather a quote from Mises, Rothbard, et al based on the topic being taught each day.
The Rothbard and Mises quotes at the top of my website do not change, but I do use the Mises.org random quote generator on my site (right hand column).
Although the California state curriculum leans heavily on neo-classical economics, I try to “set the record straight” at the end of every class. Simply, I teach my students the neo-classical garbage so that they will perform well on their state exams and Advanced Placement exams, and then I offer the Austrian version as the counterpoint which is usually backed up by the quote I start the class off with.
I just added a blog to my website today, and I’m hoping this will provide my students another option to the neo-classical approach. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to fit it into my curriculum, but by the time the first of the year rolls around I’m sure I’ll have some idea.
Thanks CJ for the wonderful review and everyone else who has provided comments, suggestions, and support of this book.
I hope everyone will give at least one copy of this book as a present to a friend or relative. I would appreciate getting some input on their response to the book and its impact on their thinking.
Mark
Thank you all for the kind words and feedback. I was pleasantly surprised by the volume of responses I received concerning this review. I plan on writing another review concerning Carl Menger’s “Principles of Economics”. If the response to that is half of this, it will be worth my time and effort.
How about a Quotable Rothbard book? Just a thought!
Keith:
I’m already on the Quotable Rothbard project so send me your favorites!
Mark
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