The word liberty connotes various meanings. Many consider it an exciting idea that represents a force for good in the world, while others fear the ramifications of a proposed “free society.” Even libertarians debate the meaning and the source of freedom. But perhaps the most frustrating element in advocating freedom is the plethora of myths about the free market, thanks to state indoctrination in public government schools. While some individuals are innocently ignorant, others simply haven’t spent the time thinking through the issues.

Like many libertarians, I too was a Glenn Beck-listening pseudo-libertarian conservative. During the presidential primaries in 2007 every Republican candidate was boasting about the robust “Bush economy” (which was somehow supposed to boost their own eligibility!). Ron Paul was the lone dissenter and explained how the economy was falsely indicating prosperity while precipitating a massive failure. Sadly, most people wrote him off as a pessimistic crank or a wacko politician. Yet because Glenn Beck trusted Ron Paul on the issue of economic matters (despite his disagreements with Ron Paul on foreign policy, Beck also predicted the economic collapse years ahead of time), I decided to give Ron Paul a fair hearing. I bought The Revolution: A Manifesto on audiobook.

That was a turning point in my quest for truth. Ron Paul was my gateway drug to Austrian economics. He has the ability to richly inform the average reader about topics that aren’t mainstream, and often sends them on a journey to understanding a whole new way of thinking. He is the perfect introduction to liberty for those intimidated by the works of Hayek or Menger, yet he is thorough enough to be convincing.

Because there are very few people who are able to clearly articulate a vision for a consistent political ethic, Ron Paul carries an unrivaled appeal wherever he goes. As an elder gentleman this is a notable feature. He has the experience, wisdom, and intellect to explain what liberty looks like in all areas of life. In Liberty Defined he shares his perspective on 50 issues ranging from Abortion to Zionism. Some chapters (such as Campaign Finance Reform and Marriage) are a few pages long, while others are lengthier essays on Paul’s favorite issues (like Empire and Medical Care). Each is a home run defining liberty in its respective area.

It’s doubtful that left-leaning liberals and progressives are pining to read this book. But it will likely attract the semi-libertarian reader (tea party, anyone?) who wants to learn more about political issues. Some will be easily persuaded on some issues (like gun control) while being challenged or frustrated on others (such as marriage or foreign policy). While not every argument is thoroughly convincing, Paul succeeds in demonstrating a consistent libertarian outlook on life. For those looking for more, Paul suggests reading materials at the end of many chapters.

A possible deterrent for those like me who have become Austrian Addicts is the simplicity of the book. Many (if not all) of the issues are more thoroughly discussed on websites and other books that Paul himself endorses. It is easy to read because sites like mises.org, fee.org, and lewrockwell.com contain more thorough essays on the same topics (some by Ron Paul himself). If you’re looking for thorough material to boost your understanding of the Austrian tradition, Liberty Defined will disappoint. But lest you remove this one from your Amazon.com cart, consider the value in reading over 300 pages of lucid writing that describe liberty in 50 areas of politics. His beautifully worded prose is language every defender of liberty must learn. His arguments are fresh and ought to be repeated.

Liberty Defined is a great asset for both the learner and the teacher. The learner will find a broad array of starting points from which he can delve into more thorough material suggested in the book (and from the sites mentioned above). The teacher will find it a useful resource from which to advocate liberty ever more boldly and clearly. Both will enjoy reading the fruits of one’s lifelong passion for liberty and its implications for everyday life.

(Cross-posted at liveloud.net)

Please consider buying Liberty Defined at Amazon.com and LCC will then get a small kick-back from the sale. Remember, LCC receives a small percentage of any shopping you do at Amazon when you go through an LCC link. Help keep LCC growing and growing; your support is much appreciated!

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Ron Paul’s Liberty Defined Book Review

Libertarianism Today, by Jacob Huebert. This is one of my favorite new books, and is arguably the best explanation of libertarianism set in the context of the 21st century that we have to date. My review of this book is forthcoming…

Nullification, by Thomas Woods. The idea of nullifying Federal law at the state level has really taken hold in the past year, and Tom has done a great job of explaining its use in American history with this excellent book. Go forth and nullify!

Foundations of Economics: A Christian View, by Shawn Ritenour. Hey homeschoolers, are you looking for an basic economics text that you can go through with your high-school age kids? Shawn’s book is what you want. Easier than Human Action or Man, Economy, and State, and far better than that garbage you’ll get from Bob Jones University Press. (No offense intended, but they really don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to political economy.) That being said, it’s not just for high-school students. This is Austrian economics at its best.

Faith and Liberty, by Alejandro A. Chafuen. A classic that every Christian libertarian should read.

Human Action (the Pocket Edition), by Ludwig von Mises. Make sure that Austrian in your life is never without some Mises. At $10, this version is hard to beat for affordable access to one of the greatest books on economics of all time. You can also get this directly from the Mises Institute Store. Coincidently, this is now the best-selling book at the Mises Institute of all time!

Disciple of Liberty, by Jason Rink. Many of our Christian friends are beginning to realize the corrupt nature of Government, and Jason’s short book really helps people to understand that being “conservative” doesn’t cut it. Plus, you can now get the ebook version for FREE until the end of 2010. How about that? (Note: You won’t find this on Amazon.) Check out my review of Jason’s book and see what you think.

The Road to Serfdom, by F.A. Hayek. Hayek’s works have surged in popularity over the last year, and this seminal work should be on every libertarian’s bookshelf.

How an Economy Grows, and Why it Crashes, by Peter Schiff. This book is great to give your friends who don’t understand what’s going on with the economy these days. Schiff explains how the market works in a way that everyone can enjoy, using humorous examples and solid principles to teach and entertain.

The Kingdom of God is Within You, by Leo Tolstoy. This marvelous work by Tolstoy is gripping. To see why, read my review.

Anarchy and Christianity, by Jacques Ellul. French philosopher Jacques Ellul had a way with words, and in this book he explains how he came to understand that Christianity and statism don’t mix. It’s challenging, interesting, and actually quite short. Read my review here.

Bonus: All us tech-lovers have been curiously watching the ebook reader and tablet computer wars emerging on the market over the last year. So if you are so inclined, don’t forget that an Amazon Kindle or iPad filled with the Mises Institute library and Christian Classics is clearly the coolest gift ever (hint hint anybody who loves me). You know, almost every book the Mises Institute publishes (and much more) is available to download for free as a PDF on their website. You could easily fill a flash drive with liberty PDF’s from the Mises Library and tons of classic theological texts from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library and Project Gutenberg.

Merry Christmas to all!

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Top 10 Books for Libertarians–Christmas 2010 Edition

IMPORTANT: Today is the last day to contribute to Vijay Boyapati’s Marathon for Mises fundraising event. Please consider contributing even a small amount to help the greatest free-market-promoting organization on the planet, the Ludwig von Mises Institute!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you had a wonderful time remembering how blessed we are. We can especially be thankful that God created a world that sustains itself with cooperation and industry, as Mary Theroux at the Independent Institute reminds us.

LRC reminds us that the war of our dear “Christian” president George W. Bush has resulted in the martyring of thousands of Christians in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thanks, U.S. Federal Government! /sarcasm

GraphJam has a great post outlining the insanity of the TSA.

Lies continue to be spread that campus carry cannot work.

I’ve thought for quite a while that Star Trek: Insurrection was a very libertarian-leaning film.

Universities are now suing high schools using similar logos for “trademark violations.” Did we just enter the twilight zone or something?

Time for a few classic Mises Institute articles… First, Ralph Raico writes about Harry Truman and the Atomic Bombs. Murray Rothbard warns us to never give in to the warfare state.

My favorite comic of the week.

Bonus quote of the week courtesy of LRC:

New TSA Motto: “We Handle More Packages Than the U.S. Postal Service.”

(From an emailer to the Ron Smith Radio Show on WBAL in Baltimore).

Add your own favorite news or fun item of the week in the comments, share the love!

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News of the Week: November 21 to 27, 2010

The first session on “Money and Contracts” was absolutely stunning. Stephen Fairfax of Mtechnology presented on “Returning Gold to the Consumer Marketplace.” Personally, this was my favorite talk of the conference. Mr. Fairfax talked about the main problems surrounding a return to the gold standard: portability and consumer expectations. Transporting gold coins for small transactions is extremely difficult. A one ounce coin, relative to what it can purchase these days, is worth quite a lot. Moreover, people still want to use cash – they expect to be able to carry money in their pockets that doesn’t weigh ridiculous amounts.

Fairfax’s solution is, quite simply, to apply the modern age’s advances in technology to the production of money. You see, we tend to think of “gold money” as gold coins or gold bars, but coins and bars are not the only way to transport money. We have the capability now to make gold leaf, or even use metal sputtering methods to deposit precise amounts of gold in ordered arrays (also known as thin-film deposition) – even down to 1/100,000 of an ounce! And since people expect to use cash, then we can fulfill that consumer desire by embedding small but precise amounts of gold into polyester “bills” certified by the production company (with a guarantee to get coinage by exchange if you like). Fairfax’s plan to start a gold company to do just this is extremely exciting because it solves so many problems of getting back to a gold standard. Seriously, you must listen to his talk. [Ack! the mp3 seems unavailable right now, check back later] I am so excited that he is moving to the Austin area in less than a year; I would definitely look into working at a company like his after finishing my PhD to work out the technical details of this incredible idea.

The last session of the day was on “Ethics and Economics.” First up was Kevin Clausen, who talked about why Evangelicals are turned off by Austrian economics, why they shouldn’t be, and how to help them understand Austrian econ more clearly. He had some very salient points, and I appreciated what he had to say.

Laurence Vance (well known to LCC readers) spoke about the Moral Case for Drug Freedom, and gave a Christian, ethical argument for consistent liberty, which includes the freedom to take even recreational drugs. In no way was he saying that all drugs are perfectly ok to use (LCC agrees with Vance as well), but the point is simple: it is truly immoral for the government to lock someone up in a cage for using a substance that harms only the user. If harm comes to someone else as a result then it becomes a criminal matter, but otherwise it is a violation of rights for the state to use force against a drug user.

Jeff Barr gave an excellent talk about the Render to Caesar incident in Matthew 22 and whether or not it legitimizes taxation. Incidentally, he uses my previous work as a source!

Last but certainly not least, Paul Cantor presented a special lecture on Economics and Literature. Cantor is an English professor who has applied Austrian ideas on epistemology and history to the study of literature. He makes an excellent case for how the market is a force for building culture, opposing the Marxist theory that capitalism destroys culture.

This Austrian Scholars Conference certainly is one of the most diverse scholarly conferences you can attend. Where else can you see presentations in the same place about economics, political theory, religion, science, engineering, literature, and even rap music? Absolutely amazing…

Here is my short list of favorite presentations from ASC 2010 with links to audio downloads:

• Gerard Casey: Two Roads, One Truth
• Daniel Krawisz: Praxeology of the Knowledge Problem of Socialism
• John Papalo: The Making of the Keynes-Hayek Rap: Economic Theory Meets Popular Culture
• Stephen Fairfax: Returning Gold to the Consumer Marketplace (unavailable right now)
• Laurence Vance: The Moral Case for Drugs
• Jeff Barr: Render Unto Caesar
• Paul Cantor: Economics and Literature

Finally, there’s a great slideshow of pictures from ASC that you can view here. See if you can spot me… (Thanks Chad and Manuel!)

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Austrian Scholars Conference – Day 3

My good friend Daniel from the University of Texas Libertarian Longhorns presented his paper on “Praxeology of the Knowledge Problem of Socialism.” The gist of the paper is actually pretty simple: Some Austrians call the “knowledge problem” (that Hayek frequently discussed) insignificant, because the problem is also applicable to a free market organization. Daniel says, “No, on the free market there is never a knowledge problem so long as there is always an opportunity for trade somewhere.” Only under a legally sanctioned monopoly – which is just socialism on another scale – or under a purely socialist economy will the knowledge problem become evident.

But the biggest event of the day was the special presentation by John Papola, the creator of the famous Keynes-Hayek rap earlier this year. Seriously, it’s got to be the single best pedagogical tool we have seen in the past few years for teaching Austrian econ. John talked about the process of making the movie and his vision for doing further work at his newly built website EconStories.tv. If you haven’t seen the video, well, you should! Here it is…

I have a picture of John and I together after the talk, but I haven’t taken it off the camera yet. Hopefully I’ll put it up in the next few days.

UPDATE: All of the lectures are being published on Mises.org very quickly, you can download them here.

If you missed it, read the post on Day 1 of the ASC 2010.

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Austrian Scholars Conference 2010 – Day 2

The authors forum was great. I was impressed by Shawn Ritenour’s Foundations of Economics, which is essentially an econ textbook from a Christian perspective. He shows that the field of economics – from an Austrian point of view – is entirely coherent with Christianity. The book looks great for homeschoolers especially. I’m excited about this book and I hope to get a review copy soon. Jacob Huebert talked about his latest work, Libertarianism Today. It hasn’t been released yet, but the Mises Institute will be selling a less expensive paperback version and you should look out for it. I’ve known Huebert for a while and it was a pleasure seeing him again. Stephan Kinsella, another good friend of mine, talked about the festschrift (a volume of papers written by top specialists in honor of a major thinker) he and Guido Hulsmann put together in honor of Hans-Hermann Hoppe, called Property, Freedom and Society.

The topic of the afternoon session I attended was “Rothbard and the Pre-Austrians.” In other words, there are a number of interesting figures in history that approached ideas that took greater shape as the Austrian economists developed them. Joseph Weglarz gave a very interesting presentation on the great Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas; his greatest accomplishment was a synthesis of faith and reason forming the basis of Scholasticism. Daniel Coleman gave an excellent, concise, and easily understandable talk on Aquinas’s favorite philosopher – Aristotle – and his conception of trade.

Gerard Casey gave the Lou Church Memorial Lecture on Religion and Economics. He talked about the formulation of “religions” out of the dominant philosophies of the day, such as scientism, environmentism (no, that is not a misspelling), and even economism/statism. These “religions” set themselves up in the place of God and subvert man’s ultimate purpose. He concluded with an excellent call to the church to abandon coercion based on our understanding of the Christian worldview.

Following a nice dinner, we concluded the day hanging out with fellow libertarians over drinks, talking philosophy, current events, economics, and general anti-state awesomeness. Can’t beat it…

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Austrian Scholars Conference 2010 – Day 1

My wife and I will be attending the Austrian Scholars Conference this week at the Ludwig von Mises Institute. I’m really excited that one of my best buddies, Daniel Krawisz of the Libertarian Longhorns, will be presenting this year in a panel with Hans Herman Hoppe, M. Garrett Roth, Bernardita Escobar, and chaired by Thomas DiLorenzo. His talk is called “Praxeology of the Knowledge Problem of Socialism,” and he will be discussing the often-missed details of Hayek’s knowledge problem in the context of, you guessed it, Misesian praxeology (which is the logic of human action). If you want to tune in, you should be able to listen live on Mises.org sometime between 1:00 and 2:30pm CST on Saturday.

I’ll have some articles prepped to post late this week, and I’ll try to do a little summary post each day at some point. If any of you LCC readers are attending, let me know right now in the comments below. I really would love to meet you.

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Austrian Scholars Conference 2010

Our group from the Libertarian Longhorns (and Robert Butler, executive director of LP-Texas) left Austin around 6am on Saturday, January 23, to make sure we arrived in time to get a decent seat. Robert volunteered his vehicle, and so I didn’t have to drive. We talked up the LP’s plans and upcoming events on the drive to Houston and back.

Upon arrival, we had the privilege to meet some really neat  people. I happened to run across a few LCC readers as well, like Yvonne Kelly (on the far left of the group picture). Tom Woods said hello as he walked in, and I briefly spoke with Lew Rockwell as well while drinking some coffee.

The theme of the day was "the failure of Keynesianism" — appropriate considering our current political situation, wouldn’t you say? Doug French was the first speaker. For some reason I have lost my notes, but his topic was "Bank Failures in a Keynesian World." What was most interesting to me about his talk was the striking parallels of the circumstances preceding "the lost decade" and the circumstances we are now experiencing in the United States. One can only hope that failed policies would be remembered, but alas and alack it’s politics not wisdom that we deal with.

Tom Woods spoke about "Keynesian Predictions vs. American History." Did you know that as World War 2 was coming to a close, policy makers were concerned that the soldiers coming home would overwhelm the economy and that a new depression would ensue. How wrong they were: 1946 was the single greatest year for the American economy ever. I also enjoyed his ransacking of Paul Samuelson and Paul Krugman.

Before lunch we enjoyed hearing the beloved Congressman Ron Paul. His principal point was simply that a true revolution is philosophic in nature. This is most certainly true, and the Austrian School of Economics is at the forefront of this change. Dr. Paul touched on many topics, but as he likes to do he focused on monetary policy and foreign policy. He made specific mention of the importance of auditing the Federal Reserve. He said that once audited, two well-kept secrets will be brought into the open once again: (1) that the Fed frequently bails out friends via the discount window (Fed short term loans), and (2) that the Fed has many international activities unaccounted for. Thus, we find monetary policy is also connected to foreign policy as well. Call me conspiratorial if you must, but the CIA’s funding goes beyond Congress – it’s tied to the Fed as well. Best quote from Ron: "Quite frankly, in a Constitutional Republic, you would not have a CIA."

Lew Rockwell was our final speaker for the day on "Economics and Moral Courage." He noted that although in many ways we are quite free (such as the freedom of the internet), we are also having much freedom taken away from us little by little. Moreover, as more freedom is stolen from us, people are more frequently not able to envision how freedom actually works. They simply do not have experience in understanding cause and effect. In truth, this is due to the "banality of evil," something small that ekes its way into public life. For example, the acceptance of a wrong premise about the role of government in life can be a first step toward more and more government control, leading finally to totalitarianism. What begins with banality, ends in bloodshed.

Overall, I’d say it was a great day…

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Mises Circle Houston Recap

Are any other LCC readers attending? If so, make sure and comment below, we should try to meet up during the event and say hello!

I’ll make sure to take a few good notes and report back to all of you as well…

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Anybody else attending the Houston Mises Circle?

My paper this year has to do with science and economics again. The talk will be called “Science and the Free Market: How the Government Distorts Scientific Research Through Public Funding.” Here’s the abstract:

Scientific advancement is said to be limited in the free market because no incentives exist to encourage fundamental research, and therefore the government should intervene by funding worthy scientific endeavors at national laboratories and universities through taxation of individuals and businesses. This assumption is not only based upon a flawed understanding of economics, but also introduces numerous problems in the production of scientific knowledge. As with all socialistic means of production, publicly-funded scientific research is subject to the Misesian calculation problem, the Hayekian knowledge problem, and perverse incentives, as well as other problems unique to scientific research such as ownership of knowledge and profits, political agendas masquerading as good science, and moral hazards and ambiguities. The conclusion is that publicly-funded research should be eliminated in favor of free market-sponsored research, and in this paper a model is proposed to answer objections to free market sponsorship.

Tune in on March 14th to the Mises Institute’s webpage and you will be able to see me give the talk live. I’ll remind you again as the time draws near.

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Austrian Scholars Conference 2009