Economic Controversies

After Murray Rothbard finished his theoretical magnum opus — Man, Economy, and State — he turned his attention away from pure positive theory toward dealing with the opposition to Austrian theory. The result was a long series of fantastic scholarly articles taking on every error of the day, and our day too.

Together they form a volume 2 of his great work. This is Economic Controversies. He covers the same range of topics in Man, Economy, and State. Most all have been published, but they are strewn out among journals that are hard to access or books that are out of print. Some have never been published.

Rothbard gives his all in these critiques of the opponents of Austrian theory and policy, slicing through fallacies with breathtaking virtuosity. It’s a model of intellectual combat, page after page of razor-sharp thinking and crystal-clear prose.

To have this all in one place, beautifully organized, creates a treasure in the history of economic ideas.

Gene Epstein of Barron’s writes the outstanding introduction.