Philosophy

Mainstream economists today examine economic phenomena from a “black box” perspective in which they look at inputs and outputs without trying to understand causal mechanisms that make the outcomes possible.

David Gordon takes another look at Thomas Nagel's Equality and Partiality. While he finds some of Nagel's arguments appealing, they still are inferior to Murray Rothbard's systematic interpretation of natural rights.

Elite higher education in the US often seems to be a caricature of itself. As David Gordon shows, Yale University‘s Jason Stanley has redefined fascism to include the nuclear family and reading the Classics. 

Buchanan and Tullock‘s The Calculus of Consent influentially applies economic ideas to politics, focusing on methodological individual. However, there are a few pitfalls about which readers should be aware.

Legal philosopher Jeremy Waldron in his book The Rule of Law and the Measure of Property challenges the Lockean view of legitimate property ownership. David Gordon sheds light on Waldron's confusing positions.

The political theorist Anthony de Jasay takes on the left‘s ideas of equality, and David Gordon is there to agree—and disagree. Jasay likens the left‘s view of equality to the Indian Rope Trick.

Einstein's name is synonymous with brilliance, yet his great intelligence did not translate to logical economic thinking. Instead, Einstein embraced socialism, thinking that one could guide an economy like one guides a mathematical equation.

While it is tempting to think of state power as being maintained by sheer force, it still needs a “theological” justification, be it secular or religious. The US state is no exception.

Almost 90 years later, Albert Jay Nock's Our Enemy the State remains a classic and definitive work on examining the state for what it is: a liberty-crushing behemoth. David Gordon takes another look at this important work.

David Gordon takes another look at Thomas Nagel's Equality and Partiality. While he finds some of Nagel's arguments appealing, they still are inferior to Murray Rothbard's systematic interpretation of natural rights.