Tag Archives: Featured

A Cato Institute associate has declared the development of the covid-19 vaccines to be a free-market “triumph.” The only thing that has triumphed in this sorry episode has been the rapid growth of coercive government power. Original Article: Contra CATO: COVID-19 Vaccinations Are Not a Free Market Victory [embedded content]...

On this episode of Radio Rothbard, Ryan McMaken and Tho Bishop discuss the aftermath of Javier Milei's election in Argentina. The two discuss the value Milei's victory has for libertarianism and Austrian economics, the challenges he immediately faces, and what steps are necessary for him to turn a winning campaign into an impactful presidency.  "The United States Needs Its Own Javier Milei" by Connor O'Keeffe: Mises.org/RR_161_A "An Anarchist’s Pragmatic...

[The Domestic Revolution: How the Introduction of Coal into Victorian Homes Changed Everything, by Ruth Goodman, Liveright Publishing Corporation; 2020. xxi + 330 pp.] The subtitle of Ruth Goodman's book The Domestic Revolution doesn't come close to describing what this book is really about. Yes, this book tells us a lot about coal and how it affected Victorian domestic life. But this book is really about how what we eat and how we prepare food has been closely tied...

The role of the infinitely small is infinitely large.” ― Ray Kurzweil, The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. —GEORGE BERNARD SHAW, “MAXIMS FOR REVOLUTIONISTS” ― Ray Kurzweil, The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology Government as we know it likely won’t be around...

With the release of Ridley Scott's new film Napoleon, viewers encounter a cinematic version of Napoleon caught up in a tumultuous romance against the backdrop of the upheavals of the Napoleonic wars.  This has revived interest in the French military commander and left many wondering what they are to make of the real, historical Napoleon. For many Americans in the audience—who, unlike Europeans, devote virtually no time to Napoleon in school—this may be the first time...

In the aftermath of Hamas's taking hostages in its conflict with Israel, the question arises: Who pays the ransom? State-financed payments lead to the worst outcomes and create moral hazards. Original Article: Hostage Extraction Needs to be Privatized [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter

Ryan and Zachary discuss the basics of Just War Theory and whether a "moral war" is possible.  They also discuss the theory's origins in natural law, and how the theory relates to pacifism, wealth, and war crimes.  Be sure to follow War, Economy, and State at Mises.org/WES. Additional Resources "Get the US Out of the Middle East" by Ryan McMaken: Mises.org/WES_15_A "American History Is a Preview of the Israel-Palestine End Game" by Ryan...

Depression-era bank robber Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks, replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” By “money,” he meant United States currency. He never indicated how he scheduled his robberies, but some days of the year may be more profitable for bank robberies than others. Disclaimer: Neither I nor the Mises Wire in any way endorses bank robbery, which is a federal crime. First, here are some facts about US “folding money,” Federal Reserve...

Part I of II by Claudio Grass For any reasonably well read adult, any amateur student of history or any responsible citizen for that matter, the idea that ”war is the health of the State” should be adjacent to a truism. After all, literally nobody benefits from violence and bloodshed apart from those at the heart of any State that is directly or indirectly involved and their cronies. In fact, the more horrific the violence and the more protracted the...

Governments regularly suppress freedom—yet few complain. One wonders if Stockholm syndrome is at work. Original Article: Liberty: Stifled by the Stockholm Syndrome [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter