Economics

My “Liberalism: The Fifteen Best Arguments” in Reason Papers

My article “Liberalism: The Fifteen Best Arguments” [pdf] is now out in Reason Papers 37:2 (Fall 2015), pp. 108-132. I make fifteen arguments for the free society — the ones that I judge to be most essential and most influential. The arguments are: 1. Liberalism increases freedom 2. People work harder in liberal systems 3.

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Zelmanovitz’s book on the philosophy of money

Leonidas Zelmanovitz is a philosophical economist with a new book out: The Ontology and Function of Money: The Philosophical Fundamentals of Monetary Institutions. It’s a a rich book, as Zelmanovitz includes discussions of all the major economists and philosophers whose thinking bears directly on the issues and puzzles of money. Earlier, I posted an excerpt

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Por que a América do Norte é mais rica que a América Latina?

O que explica as diferenças dramáticas de desempenho econômico entre as duas Américas? Considere os números do Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) disponibilizados pelo Banco Mundial — uma medida de sucesso econômico. Nós queremos que as pessoas tenham um nível de vida adequado, especialmente as pobres. E se formos ambiciosos, queremos que as pessoas tenham um

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David Henderson on Seven Myths of Free Markets — transcript

Interview conducted at Rockford University by Stephen Hicks and sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship. Hicks: I’m Stephen Hicks, here at the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship with Dr. David R. Henderson, an economist visiting from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Dr. Henderson is the author of many books and articles,

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William Kline on entrepreneurship and liberty

Dr. William Kline is professor of philosophy and business at the University of Illinois, Springfield. In this 14-minute video lecture on “Entrepreneurship and Liberty” Professor Kline discusses the relationship between liberty and entrepreneurship. He explains how laws, culture, and economic regulation can infringe upon the freedom of entrepreneurs and inhibit their abilities to innovate. He stresses

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Niall Ferguson’s *The Ascent of Money*

A good paragraph from Niall Ferguson’s 2008. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World (Penguin Press): “Despite our deeply rooted prejudices against ‘filthy lucre’, however, money is the root of https://www.stephenhicks.org/most progress. To adapt a phrase from Jacob Bronowski (whose marvelous television history of scientific progress I watched avidly as a schoolboy),

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