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Von Mises’ Human Action
The bedrock of Austrian School economics
Ideas have consequences. Those ideas that gain traction in large groups form the basis of history making movements. It is always instructive to return to influential ideas in their purest form. They are like pure oxygen or alcohol in that they rarely can be absorbed into society as is. Returning to them can reacquaint us with the original author’s intent. As inescapable as death and taxes is the certainty that the greatest ideas will be adopted, distorted, co-opted, and reinterpreted by modern day interest groups as their own.
One of humanity’s strongest held ideals is Liberty. We strive for liberty in politics, art, economics, relationships, spirituality, health, mobility, and nutrition. As no person is an island, we are born into civilization that governs exchanges between self-interested parties. The push and pull of civilization involves compromise between our individual strivings and the collective benefits of exchange. It is a process that, by nature, is imperfect in its demands and rewards. These exchanges form the basis of the study of economics.
The quest for Liberty as expressed politically and philosophically is comprised under the banner Libertarianism. The economic underpinnings of Libertarianism are found in the Austrian School of Economics. The Austrian School’s most…
