Yesterday, Robert Wenzel ran a post regarding what he
described as a Bizarre
Attack on Lew Rockwell.
I commented as follows:
Within the broadest spectrum of
libertarian thinkers (when one includes the entire pseudo / thick contingent),
there are only a handful that hold consistently to the NAP.
In Rothbard's time there
was...Rothbard. Today there is Rockwell.
Certainly there are others - Hoppe,
Block, Wenzel, etc. (you all know the names). But, and not taking away from
any, the central focal point for the last 15 years – THE focal point during the
internet age – is Rockwell.
He – and through his efforts,
Rothbard – has had more influence than the entire pseudo / thick bunch
combined.
“Bizarre Attack on Lew Rockwell”
There is nothing bizarre about it.
They see Rockwell as the enemy. They have countless millions of dollars
dedicated to their cause – kill the NAP, justify state intervention in the
economy and in the military, more efficient government, smarter regulation,
etc.
Rockwell symbolizes the NAP. He is
the most visible spokesman. He is the manifestation of the idea they want to
destroy.
Liberty.
I have been thinking about my approach regarding this recent
explosion of articles toward thickening libertarianism beyond all recognition. I am tired of being so negative; I have
decided to look for the positive. I have
found something positive in the students for liberty; after all, they can’t be all bad.
No, not that Students for Liberty; I have some
other students in mind – you know, the kind interested in actual liberty.
The following seminars and conferences offer the finest
scholarship on liberty within the tradition of Austrian economics; any of these
would be of benefit to students who actually choose liberty, as opposed to some
of the mish-mash being offered by others under the guise of libertarianism:
June 8-13 2014
The purpose of the Rothbard
Graduate Seminar is to provide an intense study of Misesian and Rothbardian
economic analytics, along with the substantive conclusions of that research in
related fields.
Attendance is limited to a small
number of exceptional students who are pursuing graduate degrees in economics,
history, philosophy, law, political science, and business disciplines and who
seek a career in academia or research.
July 20-26 2014
Rooted in the tradition of Carl
Menger and Ludwig von Mises, as well as Murray Rothbard and F.A. Hayek, the
Austrian School offers a rigorous and logical approach to economics that gives
free markets their due and takes full account of the reality of human choice.
More than a field within economics,
the Austrian School is an entirely different approach that dissents from the
mainstream on method, theory, and policy. It views economic actors as unique,
conscious, and freely choosing individuals, not as undifferentiated data to be
manipulated mathematically or politically.
March 12-14 2015
The Austrian Economics Research
Conference is the international, interdisciplinary meeting of the Austrian
School, bringing together leading scholars doing research in this vibrant and
influential intellectual tradition.
Can’t make it to Auburn?
Try this:
The Mises Academy (founded 2010) is
the online teaching service of the Ludwig von Mises Institute (founded 1982),
designed for students of all ages. Drawing on the Mises Institute’s expert
faculty, and long experience in curriculum design and classroom administration,
the Academy advances the scholarship and teaching of liberty using digital
media. Classes have an economics focus, but cover history, philosophy, law,
politics, literature, and more.
And if you want to design your own curriculum, go wherever
your spirit leads you, get in touch with your inner child, and have all the
flexibility you could ever ask for in education…all for free:
The most complete online offering
of the literature of the Austrian School and libertarian ideas, including
books, journal articles, and other writings, sorted by author or any method you
choose.
For a student actually interested in liberty, I am not sure
why one need look anywhere else. One could
spend a lifetime with only the free books and materials available at the site
and never receive a better education in Austrian economics and liberty when
compared to anywhere else in the world.
Don’t even want to read?
No problem.
There, I kept it positive!
It wasn’t easy. On this topic, this
will likely be the only time.
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