In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible. —George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language,” 1946 Language is at the core of everything we perceive, know, think, and express. We use words as a tool, to communicate and navigate life in a social context. We use them at every stage of cognition, from our
Language is the perfect instrument of empire. —Antonio de Nebrija, Bishop of Ávila, 1492 Language is an institution in society. In both its oral and written forms, language functions as a mechanism for communication and as a cognitive tool. But language serves much broader societal and even civilizational functions. Like any institution, it
Jeff Deist : Alex Epstein is our special guest this week. He runs the Center for Industrial Progress, was formerly at the Ayn Rand Institute, and has a background in philosophy. He wrote a famous book called The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels , and followed that up with a new book called Fossil Future . Alex, let me say this book is incredible. Thank
David French, maybe National Review ’s most reliably wrong scribe, issued this gem in response to the FBI raid on Donald Trump’s residence in Florida: Imagine thinking federal police agents and lawyers will be “held accountable,” or that presidents are not above the law! Is this an afterschool special? “Let’s wait and see, folks, before we judge
Who frames the “climate” debate in this country? Or any political debate, for that matter? We all know the answer. Left progressives have mastered the emotive art of posing supposedly good intentions as actual arguments. They enjoy a childlike state of suspended disbelief that allows them to insist reality can be legislated. Being progressive
Jeff Deist: It’s a pleasure to speak with the famed investor Jimmy Rogers. How are you doing, sir? Jim Rogers: I’m delighted to be here, Jeff. I’m a fan of the Mises Institute. JD: You live in Singapore. How did you and your family fare during the last two years of covid? JR: Well, Singapore first took the approach of not doing very much. Then
Fiat inflation is a juggernaut of social, economic, cultural, and spiritual destruction. —Guido Hülsmann, The Ethics of Money Production All of a sudden everyone is an expert on inflation. Your brother-in-law, your local paper, and even dilettantes at dubious outlets like the Washington Post or The Atlantic feel compelled to explain our current
Even amidst plenty of bad news, quiet revolutions happen all around us. No American industry is more ripe for disruption than medicine. Americans are addled; sick, overweight, mentally unwell, and dependent on too many prescription drugs. The business of “healthcare” is dominated by government—Medicare—and “private” insurance company middlemen,
El lenguaje es el instrumento perfecto del imperio. —Antonio de Nebrija, obispo de Ávila, 1492 El lenguaje es una institución en la sociedad. Tanto en su forma oral como escrita, el lenguaje funciona como mecanismo de comunicación y como herramienta cognitiva. Pero el lenguaje cumple funciones sociales e incluso civilizacionales mucho más
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.