Liberalism (Lib Works Ludwig Von Mises PB)

Liberalism (Lib Works Ludwig Von Mises PB)
by Ludwig von Mises

Liberalism (Lib Works Ludwig Von Mises PB)
List Price: $14.50
Our Price: $9.99
You Save: $4.51 (31%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.98 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Ludwig von Mises
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-10-01
ISBN: 0865975868
Number of pages: 203
Publisher: Liberty Fund

Book Reviews of Liberalism (Lib Works Ludwig Von Mises PB)

Book Review: What is Liberalism?
Summary: 5 Stars

This book is by the dean of the Austrian School of economic thought. It is a very short read of about 200 pages including the introduction, talking about the new dirty word in politics, "Liberalism." It is not the type of liberalism that you think of when thinking of John Kerry. In fact, most of it is the complete opposite. Like most sensible people, unlike politics, Mises used the word in relation to its definition from the latin word "liber" meaning free.

Since there are many big ideas in this book that I will probably write future posts about, I will only give this a brief book review. The overarching main theme is that the Liberalist's policies are those of a society build upon freedom and Capitalism. Capitalism has been the key to success bringing wealth to everyone, along with freedom. I think this is an important point that people overlook. Capitalism back in his time and still today is portrayed as only helping the rich. This makes no sense at all because none of the polices pursued by supporters of Capitalism support a certain class.

This leads to another great point Mises makes which is that when people talk and think of a monarchy, they always think of themselves as the king. In a oligarchy, they are always apart of the ruling class. In a socialist system, they are always the central planner. In Capitalism, they are always what? When someone talks about Capitalism, they never put themselves in any ruling class over someone else. This alone should make people skeptical of what these other people are coming up with as organization.

Capitalism is not complicated even though today people try to complicate it. It is simply, as Mises puts it, private property as the means of production. This is completely opposite of communal property as the means of production or Socialism. This argument could go on and I am sure in his other literature, he continues these arguments. But it is without a doubt that this should be a required reading for all politicians and policymakers. Since very few of us are those, then this should be a good starting book into the literature of Capitalism. And I will end this with a great ending quote from the book:

" It [Liberalism] has no party flower and no party color, no party song and no party idols, no symbols and no slogans. It has the substance and the arguments. These must lead it to victory."

Summary of Liberalism (Lib Works Ludwig Von Mises PB)

The term "liberalism" comes from the Latin word liber meaning "free." Mises defines liberalism as "the liberal doctrine of the harmony of the rightly understood interests of all members of a free society founded on the principle of private ownership of the means of production." This book presents the theoretical and practical arguments for liberalism in the classical tradition.

The foundation of liberalism, Mises says, rests on an understanding and appreciation of private property, social cooperation, the freedom idea, ethics and morality, democracy, and the legitimate role of government. Liberalism is not a political party; it is a system of social organization. The liberal program aims at securing equality under law and freedom of opportunity for everyone to make their own choices and decisions, so long as they do not interfere with the equal rights of others; it offers no special privileges to anyone. Under liberalism, the role of government would be limited to protecting the lives, property, and freedom of its citizens to pursue their own ends and goals. Mises is more specific here than elsewhere in applying the liberal program to economic policy, domestic and foreign. Also in this book, Mises contrasts liberalism with other conceivable systems of social organization such as socialism, communism, and fascism.

Ludwig von Mises (1881?1973) was the leading spokesman of the Austrian School of Economics throughout most of the twentieth century. He earned his doctorate in law and economics from the University of Vienna in 1906. In 1926, Mises founded the Austrian Institute for Business Cycle Research. From 1909 to 1934, he was an economist for the Vienna Chamber of Commerce. Before the Anschluss, in 1934 Mises left for Geneva, where he was a professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies until 1940, when he emigrated to New York City. From 1948 to 1969, he was a visiting professor at New York University.

Bettina Bien Greaves is a former resident scholar, trustee, and longtime staff member of the Foundation for Economic Education. She has written and lectured extensively on topics of free market economics. Her articles have appeared in such journals as Human Events, Reason, and The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty. A student of Mises, Greaves has become an expert on his work in particular and that of the Austrian School of economics in general. She has translated several Mises monographs, compiled an annotated bibliography of his work, and edited collections of papers by Mises and other members of the Austrian School.

Economics Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Economics Books
The Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror ImageThe Day Wall Street Exploded: A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror
by Beverly Gage
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2009-01-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.33
Price in other shops: $27.95
Coal: A Human History ImageCoal: A Human History
by Barbara Freese
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2004-01-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops: $15.00
Econometric Models and Economic Forecasts ImageEconometric Models and Economic Forecasts
by Robert Pindyck, Daniel Rubinfeld, Robert S. Pindyck, Daniel L. Rubinfeld
McGraw-Hill/Irwin; Published: 1997-07-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $88.50
Elements of Dynamic Optimization ImageElements of Dynamic Optimization
by Alpha C. Chiang
Mcgraw-Hill College; Published: 1992-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $375.84
Macroeconomics ImageMacroeconomics
by Campbell McConnell, Stanley Brue
McGraw-Hill/Irwin; Published: 2006-10-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $30.00
Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power (P.S.) ImageEmpire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power (P.S.)
by John Steele Gordon
Harper Perennial; Published: 2005-10-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops: $15.99
A Term at the Fed: An Insider's View ImageA Term at the Fed: An Insider's View
by Laurence H. Meyer
HarperBusiness; Published: 2006-01-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.25
Price in other shops: $16.99
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Harper Business Essentials) ImageBuilt to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (Harper Business Essentials)
by Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras
HarperBusiness; Published: 2002-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.95
Price in other shops: $17.99
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions ImagePredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
by Dan Ariely
Harper; Published: 2009-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.35
Price in other shops: $19.75
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000 ImageThe Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000
by Paul Kennedy
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 1989-03-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.65
Similar Books and other products
A Political History of the USA: One Nation Under God ImageA Political History of the USA: One Nation Under God
by Bruce Kuklick
Palgrave Macmillan; Published: 2009-09-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $25.14
Price in other shops: $30.00
The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism (The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek) ImageThe Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism (The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek)
by F. A. Hayek
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 1991-10-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.06
Price in other shops: $18.00
Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis ImageSocialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis
by Ludwig von Mises
Liberty Fund Inc.; Published: 1981-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.77
Price in other shops: $14.50
Towards A Free Society ImageTowards A Free Society
by Gary Wolfram
Learning Solutions; Published: 2000-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $58.41
Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition ImageCapitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition
by Milton Friedman
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 2002-11-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.14
Price in other shops: $17.50
How The West Grew Rich: The Economic Transformation Of The Industrial World ImageHow The West Grew Rich: The Economic Transformation Of The Industrial World
by Nathan Rosenberg, L. E.. Birdzell Jr.
Basic Books; Published: 1987-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.38
Price in other shops: $24.50
The Constitution of Liberty ImageThe Constitution of Liberty
by F. A. Hayek
University of Chicago Press; Published: 1978-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $249.99
The Law ImageThe Law
by Frederic Bastiat
Tribeca Books; Published: 2010-11-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.32
Price in other shops: $6.66
The Theory of Money and Credit ImageThe Theory of Money and Credit
by Ludwig von Mises
CreateSpace; Published: 2010-04-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.87
Price in other shops: $11.95
The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents--The Definitive Edition (The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek, Volume 2) ImageThe Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents--The Definitive Edition (The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek, Volume 2)
by F. A. Hayek
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 2007-03-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.57
Price in other shops: $17.00