Foundation for Economic Education » Document

Read to Hayek September 1974

Nicholas Snow — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:33:53 +0000

A letter from Leonard Read to F.A. Hayek. Read thanks Hayek for inspiring him in his Freeman article, “Those Things Called Money.”

Frank Chodorov Capitalists Are Funny

Nicholas Snow — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:13:11 +0000

Article by libertarian journalist Frank Chodorov about the collectivist ideologies being taught in university social sciences.

Textbook of Americanism By Ayn Rand

Nicholas Snow — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:35:09 +0000

An Essay by Ayn Rand originally for The Vigil. In this essay, which is incomplete (as Rand wished to continue but did not), Rand asks and answers ten questions dealing with the differences between individualism and collectivism.

Hazlitt to Buckley on Mises and Rand Dinner

Nicholas Snow — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:59:10 +0000

Letter from Henry Hazlitt to William F. Buckley Jr. telling the story of the first meeting of Ludwig Von Mises and Ayn Rand.

Lenin Was Right

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:01:21 +0000

In this essay Henry Hazlitt wanted to show the hidden costs of monetary interventions into the market system and how they are particularly destructive.

The House That Uncle Sam Built

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:46:30 +0000

By Steven Horwitz & Peter Boettke

The Great Recession (or the Great Hangover) that began in 2008 did not have to happen. Its causes and consequences are not mysterious. Indeed, this particular and very painful episode affirms what the best nonpartisan economists have tried to tell our politicians and policy-makers for decades, namely, that the more they try to inflate and direct the economy, the more damage the rest of us will suffer sooner or later. Hindsight is always 20-20, but in this instance, good old-fashioned common sense would have provided all the foresight needed to avoid the mess we’re in.

In this essay, we trace the path of the recession from its origins in the housing market bubble to the policies offered to cure the aftermath.

Letter to Leonard Read about the publication of “Anthem”

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:09:15 +0000

Ayn Rand discusses the pending publication of Anthem with Leonard Read.

Business Cycles

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:45:16 +0000

A power point presentation about Business Cycles by Prof. Paul Cwik

I, Pencil

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:50:52 +0000

“Eloquent. Extraordinary. Timeless. Paradigm-shifting. Classic. Half a century after it first appeared, Leonard Read’s ‘I, Pencil’ still evokes such adjectives of praise. Rightfully so, for this little essay opens eyes and minds among people of all ages. Many first-time readers never see the world quite the same again.” -Lawrence W. Reed

The Law

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:52:57 +0000

“The law perverted! And the police powers of the state perverted along with it!The law, I say, not only turned from its proper purpose but made to follow an entirely contrary purpose! The law become the weapon of every kind of greed! Instead of checking crime, the law itself guilty of the evils it is supposed to punish! If this is true, it is a serious fact, and moral duty requires me to call the attention of my fellow-citizens to it.“

Government, Poverty and Self-Reliance: Wisdom From 19th Century Presidents

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:07:54 +0000

This address was given at Grove City College’s Inaugural Conference of the Center for Vision & Values in Grove City, Pennsylvania on April 4, 2005. It was originally published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Is Politics Insoluble?

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:46:30 +0000

This is the final collection of essays by the 20th century’s premier economic journalist. Hazlitt originally intended this to be a larger project, but his death in 1993 prevented him from finishing all of the planned chapters. What he did complete is presented here as a series of essays all dealing with the question posed by the title. Of particular interest here are a number of chapters on historical figures such as J. S. Mill and Herbert Spencer, as well as a critical analysis of Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia and Hazlitt’s own suggestions for how libertarians should move forward.

Rules of Living: The Ethics of Social Cooperation

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:21:16 +0000

Published in 1999, this book is a shorter version of Hazlitt’s underappreciated Foundations of Morality. It contains a number of chapters from the book that are framed by an introduction by Leland Yeager. Hazlitt argues that our ethical and moral rules should be judged by the degree to which they forward social cooperation. He is putting forward a form of what Yeager, in his own similar work, has termed “indirect utilitarianism.” Ethical rules are not given by God or a priori reasoning, but by observing practices that have demonstrated their ability to allow humans to flourish by cooperating through the market and other institutions. Hazlitt’s argument here is a brilliant attempt to flesh out the ethical implications of Mises’s Human Action and this shorter version makes his work that much more accessible.

Private Means, Public Ends: Voluntarism vs. Coercion

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:12:11 +0000

Defenders of the free market often have to explain how certain tasks would get accomplished if government did not do them. This volume of over two dozen Freeman essays shows how voluntary actions among individuals, some of them on “the market,” others part of civil society or the non-profit sector, can accomplish all kinds of tasks normally assigned to government. In addition, some essays explore the ways in which other kinds of voluntary activity, such as advertising, are also beneficial, despite what critics say. Essays on the private provision of social insurance, medical care, money, and roads are especially engaging.

Marxism Unmasked: From Delusion to Destruction

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:04:31 +0000

This is a collection of nine lectures Mises gave in San Francisco in 1952, all of which deal with the ideas and consequences of Marxism. The first several explore Marxism’s view of history and conflict with Mises offering counter-arguments and alternative interpretations along the way. The chapter on the Industrial Revolution is particularly notable. The second half of the book deals with the real causes of economic evolution, namely capitalism. In addition to explaining how capitalism actually works, Mises tackles one major objection to capitalism – its supposed tendency to lead to business cycles and crisis. These lectures are an excellent overview of the problems of Marxism from a classical liberal perspective.

The Morality of Capitalism

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:52:55 +0000

As much as capitalism is to be desired for the wealth it produces for even the poorest citizens, it is also desirable on moral grounds. These 16 Freeman essays explore the moral dimensions of capitalism, from both religious and more secular perspectives. Authors such as Garet Garrett, Mises, Hayek, and Kirzner tackle everything from the morality of entrepreneurship to the immorality of socialism.

Liberty: A Path to its Recovery

admin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:36:17 +0000

This 1949 book by Harper is a short and very readable overview of the concept of liberty, written at a time when liberty was under threat in all sorts of ways. He discusses three types of liberty: of thought, of personal relationships, and economic freedom. He also explores the relationship between rules and liberty as well as the importance of distinguishing voluntary from involuntary relationships. The final chapter is a musing on how liberty can be recovered.

Is Politics Insoluble?

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:34:08 +0000

The Free Market and its Enemies: Pseudo-Science, Socialism, and Inflation

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:18:22 +0000

In the summer of 1951, Mises, as he did every year, gave a series of lectures at the Foundation for Economic Education. Bettina Bien Greaves took word for word shorthand notes at those lectures and they are transcribed in this collection. The nine lectures included here cover the foundations of economics, the nature of economics, socialism, the achievements of capitalism, and three lectures devoted to monetary theory, inflation, and business cycles. Delivered just two years after the publication of Human Action, these lectures are Mises the teacher in his prime, making economics understandable for the interested citizen.

Faith of Our Fathers

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:11:16 +0000

This collection of essays from The Freeman explores the relationship between the Judeo-Christian tradition and the free society. The topic areas covered include the influence of religious belief on the Founders, the moral and religious sources of the rights of man, and how understanding the spiritual foundations of the free society might help us deal with a variety of contemporary problems. It provides an excellent introduction to these issues.

The American Tradition

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:32:32 +0000

In this book written in 1964, Carson offers a history of the United States
in which each chapter focuses on an element of what he sees as the
unique American tradition of liberty. Chapters cover topics such as
“republican government,” “individualism, “free economic intercourse,”
and “virtue and morality.” Carson argues that the US Constitution was
the closest human attempt to instantiate what he calls “higher law”
into a functioning government. The book is framed by opening and
closing chapters that explore both the ways in which the US has
deviated from this tradition of liberty and how that tradition might be
restored.

3 Libertarian Essays

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:20:17 +0000

These three essays by Daniel Klein explore several themes concerning the relationship between liberty and the self. What is the role of individual responsibility in a free society? What, if any, role should government have in protecting people from making decisions they may regret later? How does allowing us to truly be authors of our own lives forward not just human freedom but human dignity? Klein brings together work in contemporary economics and philosophy along with canonical works in the classical liberal tradition to discuss these moral dimensions of human freedom.

Ayn Rand on Anthem Foreword

admin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:38:58 +0000

In this letter, Ayn Rand asks Leonard Read to review the foreword for her forthcoming book Anthem.

Ayn Rand on Finding Intellectuals

admin — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:49:00 +0000

In this letter to Leonard Read, Ayn Rand expresses her views on what an intellectual is and how important it is for organizations like FEE to recruit and promote them. [Disclaimer: The content of this letter does not necessarily reflect the opinions of FEE's staff, supporters or associates.]

Cliches of Socialism Number 76

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:12:17 +0000

“What this country needs is creative federalism.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 75

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:11:13 +0000

“Under public ownership, we, the people, own it!”

Cliches of Socialism Number 74

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:10:01 +0000

“Everyone is entitled to a fair wage.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 73

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:08:40 +0000

“Government is all of us.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 72

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:07:32 +0000

“Moonlighting increase unemployment.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 71

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:06:29 +0000

“Speculation should be outlawed.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 70

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:05:16 +0000

“Capital can move; labor can’t.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 69

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:04:05 +0000

“Government spending assures prosperity.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 68

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:02:37 +0000

“Equality should be enforced by law.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 67

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:01:14 +0000

“Government should guarantee freedom from want.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 66

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:00:08 +0000

“Socialism works in Sweden.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 65

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:59:03 +0000

“Industrialization assures progress in undeveloped countries.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 64

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:57:35 +0000

“Industrialization causes unemployment in capitalist countries.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 63

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:56:18 +0000

“But everyone else is doing it.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 61

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:54:54 +0000

“General Motors is too big.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 60

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:53:56 +0000

“The way to peace is through the UN.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 59

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:52:58 +0000

“REA is a fine example of private enterprise.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 58

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:51:38 +0000

“Government should control prices, not people.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 57

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:50:30 +0000

“Fact-finding is a proper function of government.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 56

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:49:05 +0000

“Rent control protect tenants.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 55

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:47:54 +0000

“I’m for free enterprise-but!”

Cliches of Socialism Number 54

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:46:11 +0000

“Society is to blame, not I.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 53

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:45:03 +0000

“We must break up economic power.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 52

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:44:00 +0000

“Wars bring jobs and prosperity.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 51

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:42:59 +0000

“Tax the rich to help the poor.”

Cliches of Socialism Number 50

admin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:41:18 +0000

“Nobody is worth a million dollars.”