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Title: Democracy: The God that Failed: The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy, and Natural Order by Hans-Hermann Hoppe ISBN: 0-7658-0868-4 Publisher: Transaction Pub Pub. Date: October, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.32 (22 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Essential reading for anyone who calls himself a libertarian
Comment: So you like "limited government," but think we need still the state to protect property rights and keep the peace? My thinking used to run along those lines, too, but Professor Hoppe's book put an end to any such statist ideas remaining in my mind.
Drawing upon the work of Ludwig von Mises, Murray N. Rothbard, a tremendous amount of historical research, and his own original insights, Hoppe leaves the State without a leg to stand on. More thoroughly than any work that has come before, this book exposes the State as a criminal enterprise that is often at its most destructive--of prosperity, of families, and of culture--when it comes in the form of democracy.
Rating: 5
Summary: Democracy's Senior Moment
Comment: Although, in many ways, this book updates Mises and Rothbard, it bears the imprint of Mencken as well. Yet, whereas Mencken would say his work were merely diagnostic, Dr. Hoppe proposes a "possible" remedy, an alternative social order.
This book is valuable for many reasons. Fundamentally, it provides provocative historical interpretations. For example, if you concede the good professor his premise about time-preference, you will find yourself agreeing that monarchy, although bad, is less decivilizing than the contemporary concept of sacral democracy, which he will demonstrate often is merely socialism under cover of democracy.
Too the classical liberal, not today's faux liberal, but the real minarchist of days now past, is indicted for intellectual complicity (note he admits Mises and Rothbard were somewhat in this camp) in democracy's inexorable march toward globalization. He concludes that once the defense/justice monopoly is in place, it will act in its self-interest to expand endlessly.
The book, too, provides comprehensive notes to Google beyond the book. Feudalism's two faces come alive as civilization walks, then runs, from the decentralized insecurity of the early manors and city-states to the centralized insecurity of democratic empires armed with the likes of e-bombs. The search for the biggest stick on the playground has lead us to a crowded playground with formidable handstaffs for all.
Yet, perhaps his greatest contribution, among many good ones, to the future is his refusal to acquiesce to the polite limits of debate which mark our epoch. He gives praise to uncoerced discrimination and ethnic separation; he criticizes open borders and their consequent, forced integration; and he demonstrates the congruence of free-trade and restricted immigration. All of this he accomplishes without a hint of PC.
Finally, where Barzun might say that his "Decadence" implies recrudescence, Hoppe might say: perhaps not. This book leaves you with the impression that "democracy" might not die a quiet old age. In fact we might have constructed a worldwide Malthusian trap without an emigration safety valve.
The book is a keeper and a bargain at the quoted price.
Rating: 5
Summary: Freedom is always superior to government.
Comment: Hoppe's introduction alone is worth the price of the book. And it is crucial to read the introduction before starting the book. He explains a priori knowledge ("propositions which assert something about reality and can be validated independent of the outcome of any future experience") in a simple, straightforward manner providing many examples. I stress this because although the Austrian Economists, which includes Hoppe, regularly mention a priori knowledge/theory - some of which is more commonly known as human nature - this is the first time I've seen it explained in such a clear and concise manner.
Hoppe also defines what a monopoly is and stresses that all governments are monopolies and must result in declining product quality at steadily increasing prices for any activity they are engaged in. And, of course, the reason monopolies always behave this way is explained by a priori theory.
Another significant point the author makes in the introduction is the inability of most historians to logically interpret, or choose between competing interpretations, the facts they so meticulously gather. As Hoppe states, "The principle advantage that the political economist and philosopher has over the mere historian (and the benefits to be gained from the study of political economy and philosophy by the historian) is his knowledge of pure - a priori - social theory, which enables him to avoid otherwise unavoidable errors in the interpretation of sequences of complex historical data and present a theoretically corrected or "reconstructed," and a decidedly critical or "revisionist" account of history".
Needless to say, a priori theory threads it way through the remainder of the book, which, by the way, is useful and enlightening itself. My favorite chapters were one, seven, eight, and ten.
Chapter one deals with time preference and how that determines whether society is moving in the direction of increasing civilization through savings and investment (low time preference) or its opposite, decivilization (high time preference). Hoppe shows how government is the biggest contributor to high time preference.
In chapters seven and eight the author discusses the merits and demerits of free or restricted immigration. Hoppe's arguments have encouraged me to rethink my position on this issue, which had been to support free and open immigration for all. He also discusses forced integration and free trade. His arguments favoring free trade are, in my view, simply unchallengeable.
Chapter ten deals with conservatism and libertarianism. Hoppe and Rothbard's descriptions of "modal" libertarians are right on the money. As a former member of the Libertarian Party and county chairman for several years, I could have written these descriptions myself!
In its entirety, I thought the book was excellent. Frankly, as an amateur economist and libertarian, it has to rank as one of the best book I've ever read.
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Title: Economics for Real People: An Introduction to the Austrian School by Gene Callahan ISBN: 0945466358 Publisher: Ludwig Von Mises Inst Pub. Date: June, 2002 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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Title: The Myth of National Defense by Hans-Hermann Hoppe ISBN: 0945466374 Publisher: Ludwig von Mises Institute Pub. Date: October, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: The Ethics of Liberty by Murray N. Rothbard, Hans-Hermann Hoppe ISBN: 0814775594 Publisher: New York University Press Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.00 |
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Title: Egalitarianism as a Revolt Against Nature and Other Essays by Murray Newton Rothbard, Murray N. Rothbard ISBN: 0945466234 Publisher: Ludwig Von Mises Inst Pub. Date: 15 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Man, Economy, and State by Murray N. Rothbard ISBN: 0945466323 Publisher: Ludwig Von Mises Inst Pub. Date: 15 June, 1993 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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