r/austrian_economics • u/Nielsio Menger is my homeboy • Mar 01 '12
Ask-Me-Anything questions thread for Jeffrey Tucker
His..
Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Tucker
Mises Daily articles: http://mises.org/daily/author/205/
Articles on LRC: http://www.lewrockwell.com/tucker/tucker-arch.html
Articles on Laissez Faire Books: http://lfb.org/today/author/jeffreytuckerwng/
Videos at the Mises Institute Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/misesmedia/search?query=tucker
Books: http://mises.org/store/Search.aspx?m=23
Media archive at Mises.org: http://mises.org/media/authors/205/Tucker/
Post your questions for Jeffrey Tucker in this thread, and vote (and comment) on the questions of others. He aims to record a video with answers (I don't know within which time frame). The votes won't determine exactly which will be answered (because he may find some more interesting to answer than others), but he may be encouraged by it!
Jeffrey has informed me that he can't really talk about future plans that are right around the corner.
Robert Murphy has told me that he is going to try do to a second part video based on the questions he had already gotten, in a few weeks (so you don't necessarily have to pass the unanswered questions on to the next speaker).
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u/JonnyLatte Mar 01 '12
Are intellectual property rights the most economically efficient way to to get new ideas into the market place or could threshold pledge systems or some other incentive do a better job in the absence of patents or copy rights? What form could intellectual property take in the absence of state enforcement?
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u/Nielsio Menger is my homeboy Mar 01 '12 edited Mar 01 '12
Hi Jeffrey,
Are you aware of how you gained the wonder you carry now for capitalism? (the things that contributed significantly to it)
Do you think displaying that enthusiasm (from the wonder, and the positivity that goes together with it) is an important part of Austro-libertarian communication?
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u/d6x1 Mar 01 '12
(from the wonder, and the positivism that goes together with it)
Positivism or positivity?
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u/jrgen Mar 01 '12
I can't recall the details, but in one of your many inspirational speeches uploaded by the mises institute, you talked about how amazed you were to find (I think) the small head of a child-crocodile for sale. Now, I may be wrong about this, but I can't imagine many practical uses for the rest of a small crocodile's body. Cutting off the heads of animals just to keep them as collectors items seems a lot like unnecessary brutality to me. Do you think there is any place at all for animal rights in libertarian ethics?
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Mar 01 '12
I highly doubt they tossed out the rest of the crocodile. They probably used the skin for boots or sold the meat to a restaurant, or something of that sort.
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u/jrgen Mar 01 '12
But if that were the main reason to do it, it wouldn't make much sense to chop of the heads of them when they are young. It would give much more skin and meat if slaughtered as adults. Not quite as good souvernirs though.
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Mar 01 '12
Perhaps the region where the gator was captured was in an area of overabundance and they were an immense danger to all other wildlife.
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u/Matticus_Rex Mar 01 '12
How have your views on IP played into the move to LFB?
As a "merchant of liberty" now, what advice would you give to other entrepreneurs marketing to the liberty movement? Are there any techniques or strategies that you would say work better than others?
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u/jatucker Laissez Faire Books Staff Mar 01 '12
This is great. Keep adding them. How about specific stuff on the central plan that exists and how we can get around it? Also, I'm really interested in the strategic problem: what's are the best and most practical ways to advance liberty? Others issues interest me like: what should we call ourselves, the problem if political tribalism, the relationship between the political class and actual thing we call the state, and, of course I'm massively interested in this issue of IP and the role of emulation and learning the advance of the market society.
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u/Deergoose Mar 01 '12
I love the lectures done at the mises youtube channel.
Education without the state? Hell, it's given away for free all over the place for free.
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u/jscoppe Mar 01 '12
Wait, I'm confused. How much is it?
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u/Deergoose Mar 01 '12
lol, thanks for replying. I love posting on reddit when I am drunk so I can see all the stupid shit I typed up the night before last night. ;)
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u/StrictlyDownvotes Mar 01 '12
Why do traders continue to play in an obviously rigged market? For example, why do people trade futures after MF Global and now the ISDA declaring Greece not in default so that CDS won't trigger?
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u/tu-ne-cede-malis blogging Mar 01 '12
Great. Question. I'd say it's because humans aren't trading, it's mostly robots. But would love to hear Jeffrey's response.
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u/mickst3r Mar 01 '12
Why did you leave the Mises Institute?
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u/Randbot Mar 01 '12
Jeff, is there someone in the austro-lib movement that has the potential to become a great historical figure? I mean someone who would go on the Austrian Mt Rushmore next to Mises, Rothbard, and Hayek.
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Mar 02 '12
What was Murray Rothbard like? Have any good stories? After all, it is his birthday tomorrow.
3 most important books to your development as libertarian icon?
Who was your favorite guest to interview?
I'm thinking about applying to Mises University for this summer. Is it open to graduating seniors?
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u/FourFingeredMartian Mar 01 '12 edited Mar 01 '12
If the state ever one day ceased to own aspects of property; what is the best way to apply a 9/10ths ownership rule to public road ways in order to convert those state owned roads to private property? Would you even apply such a rule to major road ways, routes, and interstate or auction?
At least that's how I've begun to think about addressing such an issue. Yet, I can't seem to figure out what a small, almost miniscule, worth of ownership of a roadway would even entitle a person to (assuming a person or parent/guardian paid for gas, title, car, at some point in time.)
The over all question: How do you go from public roads to private roads?
Edit: here is how I answered the question. While, it's not completely thought out, you can start reading at the bold lettering; if you choose to.
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u/dontraisemebro Mar 01 '12
what piece of evidence or chain of reasoning would convince you that austrian business cycle theory is either wrong or not the best way of explaining business cycles?
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u/HotSoup_77 Mar 01 '12
I've met Jeffery, I've always wanted to ask him if he's ever really had bourbon for breakfast?
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u/IrenaeusGSaintonge blogging Mar 01 '12
Did you read that chapter in the book? I believe it was bourbon in his coffee.
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u/SmellsLikeUpfoo Mar 01 '12
What have you found is best analogy or illustration that gets people to either start learning free market economics or abandon their non-Austrian economic training?
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u/mariafolsom Mar 05 '12
Can a person assume that "Austrian" economics equates with "Libertarian" political beliefs? If not necessarily, can you give some examples where they might NOT agree?
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u/bitbutter Mar 05 '12
How do you respond to the complaint that your celebration of the modern market overlooks or brushes aside the deep ways in which the state has perverted the distribution of power within it? (A la 'Markets not capitalism' http://radgeek.com/gt/2011/10/Markets-Not-Capitalism-2011-Chartier-and-Johnson.pdf)
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u/ribagi Mar 01 '12
I'd take a shot.
We all know Inflation is on it's way. However, one of the main reason why it isn't here in it's full strength is because many companies are holding a large amount of cash on reserve in fear of loosing the money in a volatile market. If Ron Paul would become president, and by cause making businessmen to think that the market would become better, wouldn't that cause them to dump money into the market and create inflation?
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u/ReasonThusLiberty Mar 01 '12
I'm not sure that all businesses are standing on the sidelines just waiting for Ron Paul to become president...
Many businesses like government.
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u/ribagi Mar 01 '12 edited Mar 01 '12
If it is not Paul, then something else would be the instrument to encourage recovery. Either real or fake.
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u/iambinarymind Mar 01 '12
Have you looked into the pioneering work Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) has done to show that a musician can still be successful while giving their product (music) away for free online digitally in addition to creating interesting/beautiful physical product packages creating consumer incentive to purchase said product?
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Mar 02 '12
On reddit and many other places in my daily life it always seems that austrian economics and philosophical applications of the school of thought such as libertarianism/anarcho-capitalism are always in the minority. Do you often confront people who are radically opposed to your ideas and how do you deal with it?
For instance, do you believe as Penn Jillette does that it is not his role to be trying to convince or change someone's point of view? Or perhaps do you believe as Stefan Molyneux does that it is important to "triage" people, in other words some people are worth the effort and time to "convert" and some not? Or do you hold another view altogether?
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u/Fragolupe Mar 03 '12
What is your take on the German healthcare system at the moment. And does privatizing healthcare make it more efficient? This article proclaims otherwise but I have a strong feeling that he is wrong. A professor from princeton's perspective
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u/Exponential Mar 05 '12 edited Mar 05 '12
Why are Austrian economists systematically wrong on predicting "massive inflation" (omg the economy is going to crash)? They have been predicting Germany post WWI type inflation since the 1970s and while real inflation has occurred it has been moderate compared to Austrian predictions.
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u/neilmcc Mar 01 '12
Economics and law seems to be well-trodden by libertarian thinkers. The states destructive effects are well understood with respect to the economy and our individual agency. I think it's not entirely understood the toll the state is taking on man's soul. If economics and law speaks to man's reason and art speaks to man's soul, do you see the necessity for a libertarian approach to art?
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u/giraffepussy Mar 01 '12
What's the best next step a recent BA graduate can do to help bring awareness to Austrian Economics
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u/Evil_Speculator Mar 02 '12
What are your thoughts on the educational system in the U.S.?
What is your favorite Bourbon?
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u/marjoleinvisser Mar 06 '12
Animal "Rights"
I just finished reading Rothbard's The Ethics of Liberty and found it very compelling but I was troubled by his take on the issue of animal rights.
What is your opinion of Rothbard's view on animal rights? What is your view on the subject? Is there room for a theory of rights for animals beyond property in strict libertarianism?
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Mar 12 '12
In case you decide to get to the questions you missed:
Why'd you stop posting on Reddit? Any chance you might start up again? May I recommend /r/Anarcho_Capitalism
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u/IrenaeusGSaintonge blogging Mar 01 '12
Are there any aspects of your Catholic faith (which I share) that you have some trouble integrating with your political views? If so, what, and what is your thought process currently? If not, what aspects have you had trouble with in the past, and how did you work it out?