The Online Library of Liberty is an extensive digital library of scholarly works focused on individual liberty and free markets. From Art and Economics to Law and Political Theory, the OLL provides a curated collection of resources available to download at no charge.
I felt like learning about the wealth of knowledge that came from the late 18th century thinkers. I feel like American are losing are priciples and one way I can stop that is to make sure that I adopt them myself. Cheers to a freer America and may communism seize to exist.
I have got Augustus Kelley's reprint of the first edition of the Wealth of Nations, whose English text seems too difficult for me. But I'll keep it instead of selling, because this reprint itself seems to be somewhat rare today, making its price soar. Thanks.
"A criminal is a person with predatory instincts who has not sufficient capital to form a corporation. Most government is by the rich for the rich. Government comprises a large part of the organized injustice in any society, ancient or modern6 Civil government, insofar as it is instituted for the security of property, is in reality instituted for the defense of the rich against the poor, and for the defense of those who have property against those who have none6". Adam Smith
I was tutored by both of these gentlemen at Oxford 50 years ago. Although they differed in their political outlooks, both were kind and inspiring teachers.
That 3/4 of this man's published work is out of print is an indictment against all American universities. Barzun expressed in a rich, American prose what all the current pseudo-philosophers are bumbling through in a confused state right now.
This man is brilliant, a treasure to our times. I normally sleep through videos, big time ADHD, but not this one, watch to the end. May God Keep you both in good health and in peace! ❤️
I always enjoyed listening to him on Firing Line with Bill Buckley. He has a lot to teach us, even today, maybe especially today. Would that there were more like him now. He always makes you think, whether or not you agree with him on everything.
I read Barzun more than forty years ago. I have re-read some of his books since. He is one of those clear and precise writers like Orwell and William James. Their persistent teaching that clear thinking leads to clear writing and vice versa Those who read them soon learn the necessity of revision. Which is a type of re-thinking.
Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith has been in the public domain for some time and can be downloaded from Project Gutenberg and searched. The printed book can cost you $15 and take a lot of effort to search. Has Smith's "Invisible Hand" been used as a propaganda tool for decades since most people would never read WoN? Smith used the word 'invisible' six times but only once as "invisible hand". It is really curious that we hear about the 'invisible hand' so much. Smith used the word 'education' EIGHTY TIMES. We are not told about that. Search for "and account" and you will find multiple instances of "read, write, and account", not "read, write and arithmetic". Double entry accounting was more than 300 years old when Smith wrote Wealth of Nations, but 50% of Brits were illiterate and public schools did not exist in 1776. The United States could have made accounting/finance mandatory in the schools since Sputnik. Wouldn't that have helped everyone best serve their own self interest? But we do not hear the people who propagandize us about the "invisible hand" advocating mandatory accounting because that might make their invisible rip-offs more difficult. Adam Smith never used the word 'depreciation' in WoN. He mentioned paper money being depreciated one time. Marx wrote about 'depreciation' 35 times in Das Kapital, sometimes regarding the depreciation of machines and sometimes of money. Marx even mentioned Adam Smith 130 times though not much about education. Consumers did not buy automobiles, air conditioners, televisions and microwave ovens before 1885. Marx died in 1883. But it's OK! Our brilliant economists do not talk about the depreciation of under engineered consumer trash today either. Every time you buy a replacement the purchase is added to GDP. What about NDP? Oh sorry, when do you ever hear an economist explain NDP? That's OK too, they only depreciate the Capital Goods and ignore the depreciation of consumer junk anyway. Wealth of Nations has probably been in the public domain for a very long time but cheap computing did not make it available in Project Gutenberg until 3/17/2001. Milton Friedman died in 2006. Was Friedman giving us the straight dope on economics or treating us like a bunch of dopes for decades?
I love this man's work. I always believed that McCarthy was blackballed, and that communism has now infiltrated most of our universities. If Joseph McCarthy was able to do what he was trying to do, that would've slowed down the influence or socialism/communism, and our big institutions might actually be free of that ilk. Thank you for the video!
A lot of zooming in and zooming out -- it's kind of interesting. I'd prefer to get wacky teaching stuffs with puppets, V-tubers, animated paintings, etc -- but this was cool and I quite liked the narration.
I needed this today...well every day, really! This is the first time I have thought that Austen left us these less than dashing heroes for our gals on purpose. She was a wily one, that Miss Jane. I HAVE heard, however, that Mary Wollstonecraft's writings appear to looks as though they heavily influenced this particular Austen book. There is nothing more than remarkable than learning about her writings through her context and time.
At present Russia and Ukraine are warring,Economics in tatters,nuclear war possible,covid19 still around,cataclysms ubiquitous,.... Man is questioning his orientations And so Woman. Biology and Gender no longer a straight forward phenomenon Religion is more tribalistic,its Spirituality a flagrant sham.Values no longer Valuables. A tragic Tale. No leader leader enough to sort this miasma of fiasco local and internationally. Shit is ubiquitous.A World in tatters,oblivious and utterly amnesiac of the Past,which is repeated all over again,with monsters in politics,economics,medicine,law,cultures,almost in the direction of biblical quranic cataclysms.And those civilisations crumbled.Who would have guessed what is happening Now,at this present Epoch. Terrible world. A most enduring Decadent Time,a time of impactful Worry and Despair. Horror,Terror,the Vampires are out.Sauve qui peut.!!!
Dr. Ayau was so fluent in English. His ideas were so powerful; I had the privilege of sitting in a couple of his classes. He was a good professional and a good man.
Brilliant presentation of a very brief overview of Adam Smith's ideas. I am pleased to note that among the technical advisors is the redoubtable Ronald Coase. No wonder the script of the vide is so good. Thank you so much, Online Library of Liberty.
he was like eighty when this was filmed. do you think Barzun, one of the most well-read people in world history, magically changed his viewpoint near the end of his life after writing a book arguing in favor of relativism? and did you even listen to a word of his argument? why would he ever change it?
