Mises Search

“Does the Left now have a lock on paleontology too?” [Originally published December 1, 1998.] I have just been reading W.J.T. Mitchell’s The Last Dinosaur Book . Miraculously, it manages to use the subject of dinosaurs as a way of attacking capitalism. Don’t ask me how he does it — Mitchell goes on and on about Barney, fossil fuels, Jurassic Park

With a new book out on the portrayal of globalization in four American television programs (see Gilligan Unbound ), I have found myself drawn into the debate over how the events of September 11 may change popular culture in the United States. In the weeks immediately following the World Trade Center and Pentagon disasters, commentators were quick

[This article originally appeared in 2002. An MP3 audio file of it, narrated by Joel Sams, is available for download .] Ancient Egypt was doubly fortunate and doubtless owed to this its fabled wealth, in that it possessed two activities, namely pyramid building as well as the search for precious metals, the fruits of which, since they could not

The best way to approach the historic city of Yalta is from the sea, the Black Sea to be precise. Seen up close the city looks a bit rundown, but viewed from a ship, Yalta is an impressive sight, nestled up against the Crimean Mountains, just the way the Russian Czars wanted it when they chose this spot for their summer getaways. But the tourist

The first thing a genius needs is to breathe free air. — Ludwig von Mises The Billionaire Underdog Martin Scorsese is the cinematic champion of the underdog, even if he happens to be the richest man in the world. That explains how The Aviator (2004) fits into the impressive body of work Scorsese has created in his long and distinguished career as

[Preface to Literature and the Economics of Liberty: Spontaneous Order in Culture ]   This book explores the possibility that forms of economic thinking sympathetic to capitalism may be able to illuminate our understanding of literature in new ways. For example, the idea that free competition spurs creativity and progress in commerce and industry

“To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now.” – Samuel Beckett “The task of art today is to bring chaos into order.” – Theodor Adorno   [Chapter 1 of Literature and the Economics of Liberty: Spontaneous Order in Culture ] I. In the contemporary academy, to say that one is taking an economic approach to literature

[This article is chapter 6 of Literature and the Economics of Liberty: Spontaneous Order in Culture .] “One might wonder whether these intellectuals are not sometimes inspired by resentment that they, knowing better what ought to be done, are paid so much less than those whose instructions and activities in fact guide practical affairs. Such

[This article is excerpted from Back on the Road to Serfdom: The Resurgence of Statism (2011). An MP3 audio file of this article, narrated by Steven Ng, is available for download .]   “With his New Frontier faith in the power of government to solve any problem, Minow failed to grasp how complex culture is and how elusive artistic creativity can

[Excerpted from The Invisible Hand in Popular Culture: Liberty vs. Authority in American Film and TV ] Comedy can thus be downright vicious. The contemporaries of a given comedy may well be offended by it, especially when they are the objects of its ridicule and feel threatened by it. Only the passage of time can soften the initially savage blows