Topic: Books

There’s No Such Thing as “Market Fundamentalism”

– September 24, 2021

“Minds Wide Shut provides a worthwhile introduction, but it calls for much more work. I would suggest to Morson and Schapiro that they revise the book to focus on true fundamentalist thinking and leave out their misleading and ill-conceived attack on ‘market fundamentalism.'” ~ George Leef

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The Logic of Civic Irresponsibility and the War on Terror

– September 18, 2021

“Perhaps Coyne and Hall’s book is a step in the social learning necessary to take a step back from policies that have made us poorer and less secure by educating our elites and the public.” ~ Todd Myers

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Review of Ola Innset, Reinventing Liberalism

– September 15, 2021

“Reinventing Liberalism is alternately fascinating and frustrating. At the end of the day, however, Innset has given us a serviceable introduction to neoliberalism and a novel interpretation of its program, and those by themselves make the book worth considering.” ~ Art Carden

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When Grand Histories Go Wrong

– September 10, 2021

“Coggan embarked on an ambitious scheme to tell us about economic growth through the ages. In that he succeeds, but the account leaves much else to be desired.” ~ Joakim Book

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The Political History of Silver in America

– September 7, 2021

“The history of metals as monetary commodities is long, difficult, and highly contentious. With The Story of Silver, William Silber has earned his spot on that part of the library shelf.” ~ Joakim Book

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Incremental or Radical Policy Reform?

– August 30, 2021

“Incrementalists and radical advocates of liberty should not joust each other too much because they face a formidable common enemy, paternalistic statists who assume, rather than establish, the superiority of top-down, one-size-fits-all government ‘solutions’ to individual problems.” ~ Robert E. Wright

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The Five Transitions to Modernity

– August 30, 2021

“We don’t know what the future brings, but to have a clue about the past and the present, Vaclav Smil is an invaluable guide.” ~ Joakim Book

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Book Review: American Contagions: Epidemics and the Law from Smallpox to COVID-19

– August 29, 2021

“What should courts do in these kinds of cases and how should they make the tradeoff between pursuing public health and protecting civil liberties during public health emergencies?” ~ Byron B. Carson III

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Free Enterprise as Conspiracy

– August 25, 2021

“Errors of historical fact and errors of historical interpretation often go hand-in-hand, reflecting a general approach that eschews the broader process of scholarly discovery and instead selectively seeks out bits and pieces of evidence in order to fit the past to a preconceived narrative.” ~ Phillip W. Magness

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Monetary Institutions and Monetary Control: What the Fed Should and Shouldn’t Do

– August 24, 2021

“Professors Boettke, Salter, and Smith take aim at the root of monetary policy of our time; finding it deeply deficient, they recommend putting central banks under very strict rules. Bring on the fetters.” ~ Joakim Book

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Book Review: Mark Spitznagel’s Truly Spectacular ‘Safe Haven’

– August 20, 2021

“Mark Spitznagel certainly is not captive to convention, which is why Safe Haven is such a joy. To the author, ‘becoming conventional is self-defeating in this business.’ Amen to that. The world needs more people like Spitznagel, and more books like the one he’s written.” ~ John Tamny

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How to Be a Green Economist, Nordhaus-Style

– August 10, 2021

“Is there a way to be a concerned environmentalist without falling prey to the ‘It’s all a scam’ on one side and ‘It’s the apocalypse’ on the other? I believe so; deep down, I believe Professor Nordhaus does so too. The Spirit of Green shows it, but you need to dig a bit to find it.” ~ Joakim Book

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