Choice - by Robert P Murphy & Donald J Boudreaux (Paperback)

About the Book

"Human Action--a treatise on laissez-faire capitalism by Ludwig von Mises--is a historically important and classic publication on economics, and yet it can be an intimidating work due to its length and formal style. Choice: Cooperation, Enterprise, and Human Action, however, skillfully relays the main insights from Human Action in a style that will resonate with modern readers. The book assumes no prior knowledge in economics or other fields, and, when necessary, it provides the historical and scholarly context necessary to explain the contribution Mises makes on a particular issue. To faithfully reproduce the material in Human Action, this work mirrors its basic structure, providing readers with an enjoyable and educational introduction to the life's work of one of history's most important economists"--

Book Synopsis

Unlike what usually passes for economics in many classrooms, government, the media and elsewhere, Choice is an engaging and intriguing book that provides something quite unique: a genuine treatise on economics that instructs and entertains both economists and general readers.

Drawing on the seminal volume by the "Austrian School" economist Ludwig von Mises, Human Action, and comparing classical and neoclassical approaches, Choice is a creative, comprehensive, and unusually lucid book on economic science and market processes. The book illuminates free economies as underpinning civilization, the folly of government central planning, the primacy of entrepreneurship and innovation, the nature of money and banking, the causes of the business cycle, the failures of government intervention, and more.

As a result, Choice teaches economic principles and exposes economic fallacies, and any reader will learn both the important truths about economics and the crucial value of individual choice, entrepreneurship, and free markets.

Review Quotes

"Austrian School economists have long emphasized thinking about actions by comparing marginal benefits and marginal costs and the importance of individual freedom to successful societies. If you seek to understand the Austrian economist's way of thinking, Choice is a great place to start. Robert Murphy does an excellent job leading the reader through the key insights in Ludwig von Mises's classic Human Action and then expanding upon them. He uses clear examples to show the similarities and differences between Austrian, Marxist, classical, and neoclassical approaches to economic reasoning. I strongly recommend it."--Price V. Fishback, Thomas R. Brown Professor of Economics, University of Arizona; Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research; Executive Director, Economic History Association

"Human Action by Ludwig von Mises is the greatest of all economic tomes. In Choice, Robert P. Murphy brings this masterwork down from the summits of theory and history into the hands of today's citizens in the form of a pithy text as topical as headline news and as trenchant as the original work of the Austrian titan himself."--George Gilder, author of Knowledge and Power, Wealth and Poverty and other books; Co-founder, Discovery Institute

"In Choice, Robert Murphy's achievement is extraordinary. He not only makes Human Action more easily understandable, but also does what Mises could not do. He relates Mises's ideas to late twentieth and early twenty-first century developments in economics and other fields and shows how these ideas are so vitally important for both economists and the general public alike."--Mario J. Rizzo, Professor of Economics and Director, Program on the Foundations of the Market Economy, New York University

"Ludwig von Mises's Human Action remains the premier presentation of Austrian economics. It's 900 pages, however, doubtlessly inhibits many people from reading this masterpiece. With his wonderful book Choice, Robert Murphy presents a convenient solution for such people: in 300 pages, he presents a very readable précis of Human Action, one whose fine quality will surely inspire many readers to turn to Mises himself."--Richard E. Wagner, Harris Professor of Economics, George Mason University

"Robert Murphy's excellent and much-needed book in economics, Choice, is like that of a brilliant but utterly lucid professor of English guiding the reader into Milton or Shakespeare. It makes her want to turn to the text itself, and get beyond the misguided rumors we have heard of Paradise Lost or All's Well That Ends Well."--Deirdre N. McCloskey, Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication, University of Illinois at Chicago

About the Author

Robert P. Murphy is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute. He received his Ph.D. in economics from New York University, and he was formerly Research Assistant Professor at the Free Market Institute at Tech Tech University, Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics at Hillsdale College, Visiting Scholar at New York University, Research Analyst at Laffer Associates, Chief Economist for the Institute for Energy Research, and Senior Fellow in Business and Economic Studies at the Pacific Research Institute.

Donald J. Boudreaux is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, Associate Editor of The Independent Review, and Professor of Economics. He has been President of the Foundation for Economic Education, Olin Visiting Fellow in Law and Economics at the Cornell Law School, and Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Economics at Clemson University. Professor Boudreaux received his Ph.D. in economics is from Auburn University and his law degree from the University of Virginia.