Economy, Society, and History

Hans-Hermann Hoppe
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Hans-Hermann Hoppe presents a thorough reconstruction of the foundation of economics, social theory, and politics. Sweeping in scope and powerfully persuasive, these ten lectures are the basis of a grand treatise in the Misesian-Rothbardian tradition.

Episodes

  1. EPISODE 1

    1. The Nature of Man and the Human Condition: Language, Property, and Production

    What condition does mankind find itself in? Language, property and production are elements unique to mankind. Humans are social animals. Cooperation is normal. Language permits direct communication. Animals can’t abstract in the way humans can. They can form sounds but not words. Animals cannot make inferences explicitly. Animals do not have what we call self-consciousness (reflection). Men learn that some goods are immediately satisfying (consumer goods), but most things are only indirectly useful (producer goods). The concept of property begins with the self. Appropriating objects creates a unique relationship. Property is a natural idea. That man is a producer is the third unique element of man. Man adds to the endowment of the world. Man must transform nature by using brains and hands. He does not have specialized organs or instincts to survive. Only intelligent actions help him. Man creates substitute materials. Technology has been logically developed. This process took three logical stages: at first, the tools still had to be wielded by man; the machines in the second stage no longer needed the force of man; the third automaton stage makes man of minor importance. Lecture 1 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

  2. EPISODE 2

    2. The Spread of Humans Around the World: The Extension and Intensification of the Division of Labor

    Humans across the globe develop the division of labor. Hunter gatherers had limited association with each other. Languages were many and varied. Division of labor was only within their tribes. Agricultural life allowed many more people to live in settlements and capital could be accumulated for the first time. Innovation gets transported from place to place. Mises explains why more and more specialization occurs. Social evolution develops subjectively and objectively, enlarging membership and broadening aims. Division of labor eventually includes all men around the globe. Purely agricultural societies have limitations, despite utopian dreams. Lecture 2 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

  3. EPISODE 3

    3. Money and Monetary Integration: The Growth of Cities and the Globalization of Trade

    The next element in human development is that of money and the growth of cities and trade. Why is there division of labor and why is there money? Hoppe covers why people do not remain in self-sufficient isolation even when they could and even if everybody hated everybody else. As long as every person wants to have more rather than less, division of labor occurs. Human action itself tends toward social cooperation in aiming toward his own welfare. Sympathy is not the cause of division of labor. Uruk was the first large city about six thousand years ago, growing to around 80,000 people. Rome at its peak had a population of a million. Cities, merchants and money create civilizations. Money puts the most marketable good in the hands of people who trade, eliminating the double coincidence of wants that was required in barter economies. A money is simply the common medium of exchange. Additionally, money permits us to engage in cross accounting. We can now determine whether we make profits or losses. Lecture 3 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

  4. EPISODE 4

    4. Time Preference, Capital, Technology, and Economic Growth

    The theory of time preference, capital, technology and economic growth will be viewed through both theoretical and historical elements. People have a preference for satisfaction earlier as compared to satisfaction later. Capital goods allow greater production, but this requires saving now, not consuming now. Humans are constrained by time preference. Our interest rate is always higher than zero. Little children have very high time preferences. They don’t want to wait, they want things now. Populations have become more hedonistic and childlike in the current century, compared to earlier. Capital needs to be preserved. Economic growth requires strong property rights to encourage people to save and invest. Sustaining large populations of people requires economic growth through capital goods and innovation. Taxes and debt destroy civilizations. Lecture 4 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

  5. EPISODE 5

    5. The Wealth of Nations: Ideology, Religion, Biology, and Environment

    Ideological factors, especially comparative religions, are considered. Until 1500, China was the most developed region on the globe. Confucianism has no promise of an afterlife. There are no miracles for them. They are realistic and rational. Confucius is not a god or prophet. He is revered as a great teacher. His teachings are compatible with capitalism. Judaism produced few achievements before 1800. Christianity was not originally individualist. The ideas of Aristotle and Aquinas created the modern Christian view which then successfully made many contributions. Man is given dominion over the world. The world and truth are knowable. Wisdom comes through effort. The Catholic Church is anti-democratic, individualistic and capable of salvation. Slavery became seen as incompatible with Christian views. Christianity upholds social cooperation. Capitalism was born in Italy – a Catholic country. Private property came to be seen as a good. The Protestant religion was the most successful in production because their puritanical work ethic was the harshest. Protestantism both strengthened the state and democracies. Lecture 5 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

  6. EPISODE 6

    6. The Production of Law and Order: Natural Order, Feudalism, and Federalism

    Correlations between IQ and GDP of countries exist. Without the state, what natural order evolves? Details of the theory of private property are given as the means for society to survive. People own themselves and have never doubted that the instruments that they produce are theirs as well. This extended visibly to certain land territories. Natural order defends these basic property principles. Locations were selected by defensibility. Leaders of small communities were able to act as courts by shunning wrong-doers and directing compensation to the victim. Law was discovered, not created. Taxes in the modern sense did not exist. The king, lords and nobles established protection villages against invaders. Independent arbitration agencies would create in the process of competition valid unified law structures. Economic and social integration was completed in this natural order. Lecture 6 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

  7. EPISODE 7

    7. Parasitism and the Origin of the State

    Exploitative behavior of the state is studied. Brainwashing was required to build states up. Unlike productive activities via division of labor, parasitic activities like cannibalism, slavery, fraud and robbery did not lead to social cooperation. Stationary banditry described the institution named the state that allowed for some to benefit themselves at the expense of others. The state exercises ultimate jurisdiction in cases of conflict involving itself and the state exercises a territorial monopoly of taxation. This has been motive enough for some to create states, but why do others put up with this? The state must be a small group compared to those they exploit. The small group must base its power over the large on consent, opinion, tacit agreement and acceptance of certain ideology. The ideology still with us is the Hobbesian myth of war of all against all and the need of a single monopolist ruling over all people. But, this thesis is absurd. Lecture 7 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

  8. EPISODE 8

    8. From Monarchy to Democracy

    The transition from monarchy to democracy deals with how humans create more freedom than is currently had. The role of monarchs in the pre-state societies and their positions as heads of state since the feudal (1100-1500 AD) period and into the absolute monarchies were the more typical form of rulers. Democracies are rare events in history. Kings had been regarded as patriarchal heads of clans or descendants of Gods. They provided the functions of judge and protective warrior. Their powers were resisted by other noble men who had claims to their own lands. When the kings were established as states, it was realized that all that was required was there be a monopolist, not necessarily a king.  Kings, as owners, were better caretakers of their countries with their interest in preserving dynastic value. Democratic caretakers have little incentive to have long range interests in the capital stock and exploit resources in the short run. No individuals in democracies ever expect to be held responsible for their actions and their debts. Democracies elect the smartest bad guys. Decent people will not be elected to higher ranks. Lecture 8 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

  9. EPISODE 9

    9. State, War, and Imperialism

    Lack of intelligence, lack of division of labor and violent ideologies are three factors which contribute to states, wars, and imperialism. Fighters in wars were vassals of the Lords, or mercenary groups who could be hired. Fights were frequent but small and they had rules of knightly honor. Ideological wars are the most brutal. Religious uprisings were used by princes as ways to grab properties and to form alliances. By 1648, following the Thirty Years War, the German territories had lost about one-third of their land. States grew. States as institutions have natural aggressiveness. States competed against other states in order to keep or gain taxpayers. Standing armies were created. Monarchical warfare followed. Innocents and citizens were not targeted. Many victories were attained without loss of life. The French Revolution opened up conscription. Democracy said you had to serve the state. It became difficult to stop wars. Wars became total wars. The United States has always been engaged in imperialistic aggression. Lecture 9 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

  10. EPISODE 10

    10. Strategy: Secession, Privatization, and the Prospects of Liberty

    The institution of the State is not normal or natural. We will pay for making this error. There are not different and unequal laws applying to masters and individuals. Once you accept, incorrectly, unilateral taxation and ultimate jurisdiction in the hands of the state you are stuck. Instead of protecting us, our government has made us more helpless and impoverished while they become richer and more powerful. Yet, the state owes its existence entirely to ideas and can be brought down quickly when the majority withdraws its consent from those ideas. Intellectuals are overwhelmingly statist. Thus, arguments against statists need to be ethical and moral arguments. Taxation is either just or unjust. Friedman and Hayek’s ideas contributed to the growth of the state, so the fact that those two men supported an issue does not make it ethical. Politicians are not only thieves, but generally mass murderers. Hayek gave us an uninspired vision of the Swedish welfare state; Rothbard gave us inspired visions of a destatized society. Instead, as intermediate goals, we can aspire to a world of tens of thousands of Singapores and San Marinos – small unities engaging in open free trade policies. Perhaps even a Mises Institute reservation! Democracy will not abolish itself; the masses will not give up their right to other people’s money. But most will agree that social issues should be solved on the smallest possible level. Lecture 10 of 10 from Hans-Hermann Hoppe's Economy, Society, and History.

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Hans-Hermann Hoppe presents a thorough reconstruction of the foundation of economics, social theory, and politics. Sweeping in scope and powerfully persuasive, these ten lectures are the basis of a grand treatise in the Misesian-Rothbardian tradition.

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  • Creator
    Hans-Hermann Hoppe
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean

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