The Human Action Podcast

Lawyer and libertarian theorist Stephan Kinsella joins the show to discuss the middle chapters of Hoppe's Democracy, The God That Failed—in particular dealing with "desocialization" of collective property, immigration, and free trade. These are the most controversial and widely-discussed parts of the book, and Kinsella provides a fascinating analysis of property vs. wealth, the problems with public ownership and forced integration, and the concept of rule-setting for state property. And don't miss the final part of the show for his explanation of "Hoppephobia."

Kinsella's article on LewRockwell.com: https://www.lewrockwell.com/2005/09/stephan-kinsella/a-simple-libertarian-argument/

Read Stephan Kinsella's Against Intellectual Property at Mises.org/KinsellaBook

Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Democracy: The God That Failed from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHoppe

With an ugly presidential election just three weeks away, we dive into Hans Hoppe's classic Democracy: The God That Failed to puncture some of the myths surrounding democracy and voting. Jayant Bhandari joins the show to discuss Hoppe's controversial thesis concerning monarch and democracy, time preference and its manifestation in the two systems, the forces constraining monarchs, and the terrible incentives created for democratic rulers. This is a must-listen show for anyone interested in Hoppe's most famous work and its application to the problems western states face today.

Find more from Jayant Bhandari on his website (jayantbhandari.com) and Twitter account (twitter.com/JayantBhandari5).

Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Democracy: The God That Failed from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyHoppe

Most of you know the great journalist Henry Hazlitt for his remarkable Economics in One Lesson. But in this episode, Jeff Deist discusses Hazlitt's virtually unknown 1942 book A New Constitution Now, which is nothing short of a how-to guide for remaking the US constitutional system. Hazlitt was concerned about FDR's third term and what it meant for presidential power, along with what he saw as the benefits of a quasi-parliamentary government for the US. This is a radical and controversial book, with detailed proposals and serious rebuttals to likely objections. It's a book that deserves a wider audience, especially by those frustrated with the two-party stranglehold on DC.

Also, get your free copies of Economics in One Lesson at Mises.org/OneLesson.

Professor Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard, is in the midst of writing a new textbook titled Principle of Economics. But he's writing it in open-source form: drafting, revising, and sharing the manuscript with his online students as the book is created. And unlike most lousy college economics textbooks, his offering is rooted in Austrian theory and contains numerous references to Menger, Böhm-Bawerk, Mises, Rothbard, and Hoppe. Academia is changing, and the way we learn is ripe for disruption. Dr. Ammous is at the fore of these changes, and you don't want to miss this show.

Find more from Dr. Ammous at Saifedean.com

We have reached the end of Murray Rothbard's definitive treatise Man, Economy, and State!

Dr. Patrick Newman joins the show to wrap up the final chapters—labeled separately as Power and Market—showing Rothbard's economic analysis of government interventions. Newman and Jeff Deist discuss this quintessentially Rothbardian treatment of everything from price controls to taxes to subsidies to "public ownership," presented as always with clarity and devastating logic. Want to find out why the original publisher thought these concluding chapters were too hot for an economics treatise? Don't miss this episode!

Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES

Bob Murphy's study guide to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/StudyMES​

Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

'Power and Market' was never meant to be an addendum to 'Man, Economy, and State', but a vital part of the book’s unbridled economic analysis of a truly free market — and a searing new typology of interventionism. Dr. Patrick Newman (Mises.org/PNewman) joins the show for a fascinating look at Rothbard’s groundbreaking conceptual work in private defense, private courts, and the stark realities of political incentives.

By day Jeff Booth is an entrepreneur and builder of companies, but now he's written one of the most compelling and important books of 2020. The Price of Tomorrow: Why Deflation is the Key to an Abundant Future (mises.org/BoothBook) makes the case for a better and more prosperous world simply by accepting the natural order of falling prices and fast-improving technology. The book is entirely free of jargon, ideology, and politics, yet pulls no punches when it comes to describing the fiscal and monetary mess we're in. But it is an optimistic book, with a message for every worldview: deflation is a good thing, it is inevitable, and we should embrace it rather than fight it!

Mr. Booth was kind enough to join the show, and has a fascinating discussion with Jeff Deist you don't want to miss!

Economist Robert Murphy joins the show to cover Rothbard's excellent treatment of money in Chapter 11 of Man, Economy, and State. Dr. Murphy and Jeff cover why "hoarding" money is socially beneficial; why the velocity of money (and the famous MV=PT equation) is a useless concept, and how new money in society is never neutral. How and why does money maintain purchasing power, and does the interest rate really show the "price" of money? Why do we want "hard" money anyway? This is the show you need to better understand Rothbard's landmark exposition of money in an Austrian framework.

Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES.

Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

Hans-Hermann Hoppe on Hutt's "The Yield from Money Held": Mises.org/HoppeHutt

Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/StudyMES

When Murray Rothbard wrote Man, Economy, and State in the 1950s, monopoly theory was a mess. Even Mises did not have a full understanding of where neoclassical economics went wrong in diagnosing "market failure." But in Chapter 10 of his great treatise, Rothbard demolished the myths surrounding monopolies and cartels. His friend Dr. Walter Block joins the show to discuss Rothbard's breakthroughs and draw downward-sloping demand diagrams for us!

We discuss why deadweight loss is nonsense; why government privilege and forced union bargaining are the real culprits; and why cartels are inherently unstable. Even Google should not worry us, says Dr. Block—but with a caveat. Don't miss this show on groundbreaking Rothbardian monopoly insights!

Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES.

Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/StudyMES

The Human Action podcast with Jeff Deist continues tracking Rothbard's Man, Economy, and State, this time focusing on the role of entrepreneurs in the production process (Chapter 8). Hunter Hastings joins the show with great insights into the social benefits of profit vs. interest, entrepreneurial risk, progressing and retrogressing economies, and the bunkum known as the "Paradox of Saving." This chapter presents Rothbard's exposition of the individual's (or firm's) role in bringing goods and services to us—while Keynesian and classical economists see capital as a homogenous blog and try to wedge entrepreneurs into mathematical models. You'll also hear why Jeff Bezos is not the devil, why rich kids tend to waste the fortunes created by their parents or grandparents, and why Marx was dead wrong about the little guy.

Use the code HAPOD for a discount on Man, Economy, and State from our bookstore: Mises.org/BuyMES.

Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/MES

Bob Murphy's Study Guide to Man, Economy, and State: Mises.org/StudyMES

Economics for Entrepreneurs Podcast: Mises.org/E4Epod