Theory and History

An Interpretation of Social and Economic Evolution

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Autor(en)	Ludwig von Mises	Verlag	Liberty Fund, Inc.
Herausgeber	Bettina Bien Greaves
Sachgebiet(e)	Österreichische Schule, English Books	ISBN	0-86597-569-8
2005, 300 Seiten, Kartoniert

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Ludwig von Mises was the leading exponent of the Austrian School of economics throughout most of the twentieth century. He has long been regarded as a most knowledgeable and respected economist, even though his teachings were generally outside the "mainstream".
Theory and History deals with the theory of economics, i.e. the study of purposive human action, and with history, the record of the past actions of individuals. All actions are determined by ideas. Thoughts and ideas are "real things," Mises writes. "Although intangible and immaterial, they are factors in bringing about changes in the realm of tangible and material things." Rather than rejecting the study of historical change as a "useless pastime," Mises considers it of the utmost practical importance. "History looks backward into the past, but the lesson it teaches concerns things to come." History opens the mind to an understanding of human nature, increases wisdom, and distinguishes civilized man from the barbarian. Moreover, historical knowledge is of the utmost importance in helping to anticipate and plan for the future.
Though Theory and History is not studied as often as other, more popular Mises works, it provides great insight into Mises's fundamental thoughts and a fascinating exploration of human action.
Source: Catalogue of Liberty Fund, Inc.

Table of Contents:

• Editor’s Note


• Introduction
• 1 Methodological Dualism
• 2 Economics and Metaphysics
• 3 Regularity and Prediction
• 4 The Concept of the Laws of Nature
• 5 The Limitations of Human Knowledge
• 6 Regularity and Choosing
• 7 Means and Ends


• Part 1 Value
  • Chapter 1 Judgments of Value
    • 1 Judgments of Value and Propositions of Existence
    • 2 Valuation and Action
    • 3 The Subjectivity of Valuation
    • 4 The Logical and Syntactical Structure of Judgments of Value
  • Chapter 2 Knowledge and Value
    • 1 The Bias Doctrine
    • 2 Common Weal versus Special Interests
    • 3 Economics and Value
    • 4 Bias and Intolerance
  • Chapter 3 The Quest for Absolute Values
    • 1 The Issue
    • 2 Conflicts within Society
    • 3 A Remark on the Alleged Medieval Unanimity
    • 4 The Idea of Natural Law
    • 5 Revelation
    • 6 Atheistic Intuition
    • 7 The Idea of Justice
    • 8 The Utilitarian Doctrine Restated
    • 9 On Aesthetic Values
    • 10 The Historical Significance of the Quest for Absolute Values
  • Chapter 4 The Negation of Valuation


• Part 2 Determinism and Materialism
  • Chapter 5 Determinism and Its Critics
    • 1 Determinism
    • 2 The Negation of Ideological Factors
    • 3 The Free-Will Controversy
    • 4 Foreordination and Fatalism
    • 5 Determinism and Penology
    • 6 Determinism and Statistics
    • 7 The Autonomy of the Sciences of Human Action
  • Chapter 6 Materialism
    • 1 Two Varieties of Materialism
    • 2 The Secretion Analogy
    • 3 The Political Implications of Materialism
  • Chapter 7 Dialectical Materialism
    • 1 Dialectics and Marxism
    • 2 The Material Productive Forces
    • 3 The Class Struggle
    • 4 The Ideological Impregnation of Thought
    • 5 The Conflict of Ideologies
    • 6 Ideas and Interests
    • 7 The Class Interests of the Bourgeoisie
    • 8 The Critics of Marxism
    • 9 Marxian Materialism and Socialism
  • Chapter 8 Philosophy of History
    • 1 The Theme of History
    • 2 The Theme of the Philosophy of History
    • 3 The Difference between the Point of View of History and That of Philosophy of History
    • 4 Philosophy of History and the Idea of God
    • 5 Activistic Determinism and Fatalistic Determinism


• Part 3 Epistemological Problems of History
  • Chapter 9 The Concept of Historical Individuality
    • 1 The Ultimate Given of History
    • 2 The Role of the Individual in History
    • 3 The Chimera of the Group Mind
    • 4 Planning History
  • Chapter 10 Historicism
    • 1 The Meaning of Historicism
    • 2 The Rejection of Economics
    • 3 The Quest for Laws of Historical Change
    • 4 Historicist Relativism
    • 5 Dissolving History
    • 6 Undoing History
    • 7 Undoing Economic History
  • Chapter 11 The Challenge of Scientism
    • 1 Positivism and Behaviorism
    • 2 The Collectivist Dogma
    • 3 The Concept of the Social Sciences
    • 4 The Nature of Mass Phenomena
  • Chapter 12 Psychology and Thymology
    • 1 Naturalistic Psychology and Thymology
    • 2 Thymology and Praxeology
    • 3 Thymology as a Historical Discipline
    • 4 History and Fiction
    • 5 Rationalization
    • 6 Introspection
  • Chapter 13 Meaning and Use of the Study of History
    • 1 The Why of History
    • 2 The Historical Situation
    • 3 History of the Remote Past
    • 4 Falsifying History
    • 5 History and Humanism
    • History and the Rise of Aggressive Nationalism
    • 7 History and Judgments of Value
  • Chapter 14 The Epistemological Features of History
    • 1 Prediction in the Natural Sciences
    • 2 History and Prediction
    • 3 The Specific Understanding of History
    • 4 Thymological Experience
    • 5 Real Types and Ideal Types


• Part 4 The Course of History
  • Chapter 15 Philosophical Interpretations of History
    • 1 Philosophies of History and Philosophical Interpretations of History
    • 2 Environmentalism
    • 3 The Egalitarians’ Interpretation of History
    • 4 The Racial Interpretation of History
    • 5 The Secularism of Western Civilization
    • 6 The Rejection of Capitalism by Antisecularism
  • Chapter 16 Present-Day Trends and the Future
    • 1 The Reversal of the Trend toward Freedom
    • 2 The Rise of the Ideology of Equality in Wealth and Income
    • 3 The Chimera of a Perfect State of Mankind
    • 4 The Alleged Unbroken Trend toward Progress
    • 5 The Suppression of “Economic” Freedom
    • 6 The Uncertainty of the Future


• Index

Source: Liberty Fund, Inc.