Friday philosophy

Hofstadter on Lincoln

Historian Richard Hofstadter was a well-known progressive, but his take on Abraham Lincoln certainly differs from the hagiographic approach most US historians take toward him.

2 percent

The Impossible Two Percent: Why Central Banks Cannot Afford Price Stability

While the Fed continues its “two percent” charade, the central bank has been inflating the US economy into ruin. The latest Fed capers will not end well.

Warren Harding tomb

Warren Harding: A Sinner in the Hands of Angry Progressives

Warren Harding provides a case for how lies and myths—in the name of the truth—can be centralized and become the dominant narrative for generations, shaping views on policy.

Thanksgiving: A Celebration of Domestic Life

For 150 years, Thanksgiving has been primarily an apolitical holiday that's really about family fun and eating a huge meal.

Mises WireRyan McMaken
Thanksgiving Is a Celebration of Free Enterprise

Thanksgiving Is a Celebration of Free Enterprise

The first English settlers in America learned a hard lesson about socialist economics in the early years of their new colonies as they faced starvation. Once they embraced free enterprise, however, they had something to be thankful for.
Judy Thommesen
Tax chains

Government Chains Are Shackling Europe

Europe’s eye-watering tax levels are a leading cause of stagnation of European economies, as well as the symptom par excellence of statist gluttony.
Finn Andreen
A stack of DOGE t-shirts

Republicans Aren’t Actually Interested In Shrinking Government

The excitement of DOGE’s early days has mostly dissipated, in large part because Republicans still completely accept the fallacious paradigm of their progressive opponents about how all these government programs are providing necessary services for the American people.
Connor O'Keeffe
card

We’re Approaching the “Blame the Consumer” Stage of the Boom-Bust Cycle

In a recession or a crisis, the right approach for individuals is to save. So too for the national economy. Saving does not cause the economy to fall into recession any more than more spending can save it from recession.
Ryan McMaken
bastiat

Frédéric Bastiat: The Unseen Role of Intermediaries

Bastiat emphasized that much of what goes on in the economy involves things we don’t see directly. Intermediaries often fall into Bastiat’s category of things “not seen.”
Ulrich Fromy
History

History Is Not a Science

Some modern historians claim they are “doing science.” However, Ludwig von Mises inTheory and History decried what he saw as “scientism” instead of real scientific inquiry.
Wanjiru Njoya
The Misesian
In the latest issue of The Misesian, we give readers a sense of what happens at Mises University by featuring lectures and photos from the event, as well as testimonials from students.
TM cover Sept Oct 2025
Human Action Podcast

The Great Depression: An Austrian Reply to WIRED

Bob walks through a recent WIRED video on “the economics behind the Great Depression,” correcting its claims on lax regulation, Hoover’s alleged inaction, the role of the Fed and the gold standard,

Robert P. Murphy
Radio Rothbard

How 50-Year Mortgages Turn Home Owners into Renters

50-year mortgages are likely to increase the likelihood of more "owners" becoming underwater and walking away from their mortgages. This will lead to more bailouts for the financial sector.

Ryan McMaken
Human Action Podcast

Interest Is Not the Marginal Product of Capital

Bob revisits capital and interest theory to show why the textbook result “interest = MPK” only holds in a one-good world, and why in actual markets the interest rate emerges from time, prices, and

Robert P. Murphy
Minor Issues

The Seven Deadly Economic Sins

Seven “economic sins” share one root: monetary inflation—fueling higher prices, inequality, debt, war, and even moral decay.

Mark Thornton
Mises Circle Oklahoma City 2026
-
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Join Keith Smith, Caitlin Long, Ryan McMaken, Per Bylund, and Timothy Terrell for our first event of 2026.

Libertarian Scholars Conference 2025
-
Auburn, AL

Join us in Auburn in March for Libertarian Scholars Conference 2026.

AERC 2024
-
Auburn, AL

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.

Fellows 25
Auburn, AL

Research Fellowships at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, are available to graduate students and post-docs interested in scientific research in the Austrian school and libertarian political economy.

Economics for Beginners

Our Complex World

Complexity: Liberty vs. Power

Can we find freedom and opportunity in an uncertain future? This series explores the complex systems that shape our world.
American Empire

America: From Republic to Empire

"War is the health of the state." —Randolph Bourne
The Costs of the Progressives

Progressivism

The battle between American individualism and modern progressive collectivism.
What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. 

Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

Become a Member
Mises Institute