The Neglected Potential of Rothbard’s Preface to Theory and History as an Introductory Text on Austrian Methodology

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30800/mises.2021.v9.1357

Keywords:

Murray N. Rothbard, praxeology, Austrian Economics, methodology, epistemology

Abstract

Given the breadth of the ideas of the Austrian School of Economics and the numerous lengthy treatises across which those ideas are scattered, it is difficult to recommend an introductory text that conveys its definingcharacteristics. However, in this regard, Murray N. Rothbard’s rarely discussed Preface to Ludwig von Mises’s book Theory and History possesses considerable untapped potential. The Preface’s merits as an introductory reading stem not only from its persuasive summary of the praxeological method and the core arguments in its favor, amongst other distinguishing characteristics of the Austrian School, but also from its brevity and Rothbard’s stilistic clarity, which make it incredibly accessible to newcomers to Austrian ideas.

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Author Biography

George Pickering, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

George Pickering is a doctoral student of Economic History at the University of Oxford. He received his
undergraduate degree from the London School of Economics, and was a Research Fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute in 2017 and 2018. His research interests include monetary history and the history of economic methodology.

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Published

2021-06-22

How to Cite

1.
Pickering G. The Neglected Potential of Rothbard’s Preface to Theory and History as an Introductory Text on Austrian Methodology. MisesJournal [Internet]. 2021 Jun. 22 [cited 2024 Nov. 4];9. Available from: https://www.misesjournal.org.br/misesjournal/article/view/1357

Issue

Section

Special Issue 2020