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Man, Economy, and State [Paperback]

Murray N. Rothbard
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)


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Book Description

June 15, 1993
A pillar of the Austrian School Library and the last full-blown treatise on economics. If Mises's Human Action was the culmination of the School from Menger's time, Rothbard's treatise takes Austrian thought even further in the areas of utility and welfare economics, antitrust, labor, taxation, public goods, and social insurance schemes. Inconsistencies are ironed out and the system of thought, in all its logical rigor, is unbroken.

More than any book, Man, Economy, and State taught economics to the post-Mises generation. It refutes still-common errors among the mainstream and grapples with the post-war Keynesian literature point by point. The impact of this work was also enhanced by its breathtaking logic and clarity, even in the most difficult subject areas.

Special insights along the way include a full critique of government statistics and the Fed's definitions of the money supply. Nearly twenty-five years after it first appeared in print, it remains the standard bearer for the Austrian School.



Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Murray N. Rothbard (1926-1995) distinguished himself as an economist, writing a major treatise on theory, several important economic histories, and a highly praised history of economic thought. But he was also known as the pioneer thinker of libertarianism, the political philosophy that roots freedom in private property ownership and decries the state as inherently contrary to the ethics of a free society. Writing from this perspective, he gained a reputation as the most provocative and influential contributor to the anarchist tradition in our century.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 987 pages
  • Publisher: Ludwig Von Mises Inst; 1 edition (June 15, 1993)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0945466323
  • ISBN-13: 978-0945466321
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 2.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,218,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 43 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Treatise on Economics ever written... June 12, 2004
By SK
Format:Paperback
This is simply the best treatise on economics that has been written upto date in the human history. Ludwig Von Mises 'Human Action' comes close but it is too dense for a layman.

This book: Man, Economy and State, written by Murray N. Rothbard can make an economist out of layman if he puts time and efforts into reading this book and understanding all its concepts. Murray Rothbard starts with the basic axiom that: Humans Act. He further states that Humans Act to relieve some sort of unease and approach a better state of satisfaction. Based on these two axioms he builds up the entire edifice of Economics using impeccable logic and superb reasoning.

I had read Carl Menger's 'Principles of Economics' before this and thus had a basic understanding of economics. But EVEN if you do not have that, do not worry. This book starts with very basic terms and explains the concepts of Supply and Demand, Interest Rates, Profit/Loss, Production Structure etc. in a clear and thorough manner.

Murray Rothbard furthermore refutes the Socialist, Keynesian(gradual socialist) and neo-classical schools of economics. His elucidation of fallacies of Interventionist economics is so logical that one cannot help but laugh out loud on the stupidity of fools like John Keynes, Karl Marx and their disciples.

Also you will not see much mathematics in this book. Subjective valuations of goods/services by humans cannot be quantified. This seems pretty logical to most of us but many who call themselves "economists" simply miss this insight.

Read this book and you will have a far better understanding of how the world works. You will also understand economics better than most economics college professors and government-employed economists.

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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing antidote to mainstream Micro and Macro January 5, 2000
Format:Paperback
Man, Economy and State is more than a refined rehashing of Mises' Human Action. It includes thorough analyses of many topics Mises did not tackle, or did not tackle so well. Most notably, Rothbard exposes the logical absurdities embedded in Keynesian and monetarist theories.

I found the work both more satisfying and more intellectually invigorating than I expected. Rothbard's clear, deductive prose, aided with just a touch of humor and sarcasm, makes for some wonderful reading. I know I will read this one many, many times before I feel I have really absorbed everything this book has to offer.

I especially urge educated laymen and students of economics to give this book a good reading before mindlessly accepting the trendy mathematical scribbling that has become the code language of ivy-league economists. Purposive, motivated individual ACTION is the ultimate cause of all economic phenomena. Therefore, economics must be described in terms of cause and effect relationships originating in the attempts of individuals to employ scarce means to satisfy unlimited wants.

Economics, when described through functional equations, can never contain any meaningful insights that could not be expressed more precisely through verbal logic, as functional relationships lack information on causality. In the social sciences they are likely to be the source of false deduction and inference. The result is a hopelessly confused pseudo-science that ignores most of what makes economics useful.

Because Rothbard understands this from the get-go, he is able to give us 900 pages of meaningful logic.

Thank you, Murray Rothbard!

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34 of 40 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars An Encyclopedia of Economics June 30, 2002
Format:Paperback
If you're at all interested in Austrian economics, Rothbard's _magnum opus_ is an essential reference. The whole of Austrian methodology and economic thought is contained in this massive text. Whether you're teaching yourself the basics of Econ, or just want to experience some of the most controversial, cutting-edge thought in the financial sciences, Man, Economy and State is one to watch out for.

PRO:
+ Assumes nothing; teaches you economics from the ground up.
+ Thorough and detailed.

+ If you find an edition with the rare last chapter, "The Economics of Violent Intervention in the Market," the book is worth its weight in gold: it's a political treatise AND economics compendium in one.

CON:
- A bit on the dry side; Rothbard's vocabulary and syntax tend towards the dense.
- Don't expect a lot of graphs. Get used to it: Austrians don't like graphs.
- Threateningly heavy.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic
A classic is a work that rewards repeated re-reading. I am planning to repeat the graduate seminar I gave around this book not only because it is a revelation to students who have... Read more
Published on December 15, 2007 by Warren C. Gibson
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting...Long...but interesting
This is Murray Rothbard's Magnum Opus, or maybe it isn't. He has had so many books that were great, it is really hard to tell which one is his best. Read more
Published on May 24, 2006 by William Byrd
5.0 out of 5 stars This makes me wonder ...
New text of my review :
I think that wikipedia (search google for...

"Man, Economy, and State" free text

... Read more
Published on December 31, 2005 by jdrmusiclover
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterful Treatise
This is easily one of the three best defenses of the Free Market ever written. (The other two being Mises' "Human Action" and Reisman's "Capitalism" . Read more
Published on November 16, 2003 by Walt Byars
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Others here have done a great job of reviewing this book, so I won't say much.
I have to give it 5 stars. Read more
Published on April 28, 2003 by Jonathan M
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece
Every sentence in this book is an eye opener....
Published on October 2, 2002
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Murray Rothbard was one of the most prolific writers in the libertarian tradition in the 20th century. Read more
Published on February 10, 2002 by Steve Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece
If you want a systematic and sound grouding in economics, this is the book to read. Rothbard's treatise is a delight, an amazing intellectual achievement, and yet more than... Read more
Published on July 25, 2001 by Thomas Woods
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
This work is perhaps the most thorough and consistent exposition of capitalist economics in existence. Read more
Published on May 2, 2000 by eunomius
5.0 out of 5 stars Murray Rothbard's magnum opus shines
Why not try this book? You may never finish it, but even a cursory glance through it reveals a beautifully elaborated economic system, built on von Mises's utilitarian base. Read more
Published on January 10, 1999
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