Gullible du ký: Trường ca Odyssey về Thị trường tự do

by Ken Schoolland, Chi Mai Huyền (Dịch), Ngô Thu Hương (Dịch)

Gullible du ký: Trường ca Odyssey về Thị trường tự do xoay quanh câu chuyện của một cậu bé bị đắm tàu, dạt vào một hòn đảo xa lạ. Mỗi chương, trừ chương đầu, đều bắt đầy bằng một “chuyện ngụ ngôn” ngắn về Jonathan Gullible và những cuộc chạm trán của anh với những luật lệ kì lạ của một hòn đảo và cư dân ở đó. Đây là một cuốn sách rất thú vị. Nó thách thức độc giả phải suy nghĩ về việc tại sao một số quốc gia giàu, trong khi một số quốc gia lại nghèo. Nó khám phá lối tư duy mở về nhiều vấn đề triết lý, thực tiễn và kinh tế quan trọng. Các ý tưởng đa dạng trong sách sẽ buộc độc giả phải suy nghĩ, nghi vấn và tham dự vào những cuộc thảo luận nhiều ý nghĩa. Và ẩn sau tất cả những điều này là sự tôn trọng và chấp nhận con người cá nhân.

Genres: Economics, Fiction, Politics, Philosophy, Fantasy

Published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Akmal A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terangguk-angguk juga aku lepas membaca setiap bab, siap dalam hati boleh bercakap sendiri 'Oooo rupanya macam ni'. Schoolland menerangkan bagaimana pasaran terbuka berfungsi dalam menentukan perjalanan politik pasca perang dunia kedua. Walaupun ini pengamatan Schoolland tentang apa yang berlaku di Amerika dan Jepun tetapi kesan dari pasaran terbuka atau globalisasi ini sebenarnya meluas dan menjelma rupanya kejam seperti hantu pocong lebih-lebih lagi di belahan dunia Asia Tenggara. Negara-negara Asia Tenggara yang kebanyakkannya dijajah oleh Eropah telah pun dibebaskan oleh mereka lepas Perang Dunia kedua tetapi masih lagi tidak dapat merasakan nikmat untuk hidup sebagai warganegara lebih-lebih lagi dengan pengenalan undang-undang yang tak masuk akal sehingga menyusahkan semua rakyat.

Schoolland menulis dengan bahasa yang mudah untuk difahami semua orang bagaimana sistem pasaran terbuka ini menindas peniaga / orang kecil yang tidak berpengaruh. Atau dalam kata lain bagaimana sistem ini memenangkan 1% dan menentang 99% yang lain. Walaupun ini adalah koleksi cerita-cerita pendek travelog Johnathan Gullible dalam pengembaraannya terdampar di sebuah pulau, tapi setiap cerpen membawa pengenalan yang bermakna buat kita untuk memahami bagaimanakah ianya berfungsi. Schoolland meletakkan rujukan dan dari manakah beliau memperoleh inspirasi untuk mendapatkan jalan cerita pengembaraan tersebut. Walaupun tidak sempurna tetapi boleh dikatakan agak padat dengan info yang mampu menarik minat pembaca yang tiada latar belakang ekonomi.

Pada akhir buku, Schoolland menuliskan falsafah hidup Gullible yang sangat bermakna untuk direnungkan bersama;

"Masalah yang timbul kerana penggunaan paksaan oleh pihak berkuasa boleh diselesaikan. Penyelesaiannya bermula apabila orang ramai berhenti meminta pihak berkuasa menggunakan paksaan untuk kepentingan diri masing-masing. Kejahatan tidak hanya berpunca daripada orang jahat, sebaliknya juga boleh datang daripada orang baik yang membenarkan penggunaan kekerasan sebagai cara mencapai apa yang diinginkan. Sepanjang sejarah, orang baik telah memperkuatkan kejahatan dengan cara ini."

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book review of “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” by Ken Schoolland would not be enough to demonstrate the impact this book and more importantly this author have had on my life.

When I was in high school I stumbled across a video called “The Philosophy of Liberty.” This was a simple (especially by today’s standards) flash introduction to the concept of libertarianism. As I watched it I was fascinated by my inability to contest anything the video claimed.

At that time in my life I was probably what you would call a neoconservative and after I watched the video I still was. It was that video that began my own personal libertarian odyssey.

After high school I joined the United States Marines in a desire to protect America and pay for college. The Marines gave me some tests, told me I was smart, and sent me off to the Defense Language Institute to learn Indonesian.

Due to my language skills my time in the military was spent mostly in the Pacific Ocean onboard navy ships and wasting away in Okinawa. I traveled to many countries including Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, and Australia. Visiting these countries combined with my Christian missions trips in high school led me to question the idea of war between people who had never met and had no reason to hate each other.

It was on one of my longer sessions aboard the USS Essex that I read a book called “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” by Ken Schoolland. At the time I did not know that Ken Schoolland was also the author behind “The Philosophy of Liberty.” During my reading of that book something clicked. I could no longer accept things that I had previously believed were common sense. The book forced me to see societal fallacies all around me. It was around this time that I slowly began to self-identify as a libertarian.

To say that “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” is different from other economics or libertarian books would be a gross understatement. The book is written as a series of parables following the travels of a young man named Jonathan Gullible stranded on the strange island of Corrumpo. This island serves as a setting for a thrashing of every commonly accepted fallacy of government and economics.

Ken’s book is masterful in its ability to deliver profound logic in language and analogy that a small child could understand. The book is equal parts “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Economics in One Lesson.” Instead of giving my friends “For a New Liberty” or “Human Action” (which they probably won’t read) I give them “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible”. I strongly believe that even the most stalwort non-libertarians who read this book from cover-to-cover will find their worldview resting a little less comfortably than before. Now back to my story…

My plan when I originally joined the military was to secure a job in the intelligence field (which I did), get out and go to school, and then get a job working for the NSA or some other government intelligence agency. My budding libertarianism and anti-statism proved problematic for this plan and it wasn’t long before I decided that I would be leaving the military after only one term and seeking more honest employment.

By the time I left the military I had been married to my wonderful wife for one year and we decided to stay where the military left us in Hawaii and finish school. I enrolled at Hawaii Pacific University to study computer science. It was around this time that I began working for the Ron Paul campaign.

Through volunteers of the campaign I was invited to attend The Foolish Things Salon, a monthly exchange of ideas that usually took place at the home of a man named Ken Schoolland. Believe it or not the name did not ring a bell. I asked the person next to me who this Ken Schoolland guy was and they told me he was the author of “The Adventure of Jonathan Gullible” and “The Philosophy of Liberty”.

I think at that moment my brain froze. How often do people get to meet their heroes at their homes and not even know it. (Sidenote: It was because of this experience that I began my habit of keeping track of authors names from every book, essay, or article I read).

The greatest news was yet to come. Ken Schoolland was a professor of economics at my university. I was ecstatic and resolved to take his class at the next opportunity. I am proud to say I will be taking his macroeconomics class in the Fall 2012 Semester.

You can buy your own copy of “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” from Amazon by clicking here.

The book is available in over 40 languages and in my humble opinion no libertarian’s bookshelf is complete without out it. My copy rests happily between “Man, Economy, and State” and “The Road to Serfdom“. Between such great books the “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” stands proud and deserving, because without it, I would have never read all the rest.

http://mikezentz.com/2012/07/adventur...

[Mark Isaak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Schoolland describes shipwrecked Jonathan's journey in the fantastic country of Corrumpo, where he encounters many facets of dysfunctional governance. The story is obviously inspired by _Gulliver's Travels_ but without any of Jonathan Swift's wit. The adventures mostly describe problems with corrupt government in parodies so heavy-handed and exaggerated that it's often hard to relate them to real situations. And the problem, Schoolland implies, is not just corruption, but government itself. However, no better alternatives are presented; democracy is explicitly vilified. The book is good if you want a quick view of a Libertarian's ideas, but for learning anything about economic or political theory.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply one of the finest parable collections on Free Market & Austrian School economics. Very highly recommended.

Fun story for all ages as well!

[Pedro Faraco · Rating 5 out of 5]

ESTE LIVRO É A RESPOSTA para todos aqueles que procuram avidamente uma obra que inspire seus filhos a conhecerem as ideias da liberdade.

Neste conto de linguagem simples e direta, Jonas Gullible é um menino que se perde no mar após uma tempestade e acaba indo parar em uma ilha desconhecida, com uma população local muito peculiar. A sucessão de acontecimentos é cativante e inspiradora.

Vincent Miller, fundador do ISIL, foi muito feliz quando referiu-se a este livro como o "João e o Pé de Feijão" da liberdade.

Quem dera tivesse eu acesso a este livro durante minha adolescência! Mas fico feliz em saber que minhas filhas terão a chance de ler esta obra ainda novas, o que certamente contribuirá na construção de suas visões de mundo.

[Chimeddolgor Ch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Бичиглэлийн ёгтолсон, егөөдсөн хэлбэр, өгүүлж буй үйл явдал таныг уйдаахгуй гэдэгт итгэлтэй байна. Эрх, эрх чөлөө, чөлөөт эдийн засгийн талаар мөн төрийн буруу үйл ажиллагааны талаар энгийн ойлголттой болохыг хүсвэл уншаарай.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book review of “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” by Ken Schoolland would not be enough to demonstrate the impact this book and more importantly this author have had on my life.

When I was in high school I stumbled across a video called “The Philosophy of Liberty.” This was a simple (especially by today’s standards) flash introduction to the concept of libertarianism. As I watched it I was fascinated by my inability to contest anything the video claimed.

At that time in my life I was probably what you would call a neoconservative and after I watched the video I still was. It was that video that began my own personal libertarian odyssey.

After high school I joined the United States Marines in a desire to protect America and pay for college. The Marines gave me some tests, told me I was smart, and sent me off to the Defense Language Institute to learn Indonesian.

Due to my language skills my time in the military was spent mostly in the Pacific Ocean onboard navy ships and wasting away in Okinawa. I traveled to many countries including Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, and Australia. Visiting these countries combined with my Christian missions trips in high school led me to question the idea of war between people who had never met and had no reason to hate each other.

It was on one of my longer sessions aboard the USS Essex that I read a book called “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” by Ken Schoolland. At the time I did not know that Ken Schoolland was also the author behind “The Philosophy of Liberty.” During my reading of that book something clicked. I could no longer accept things that I had previously believed were common sense. The book forced me to see societal fallacies all around me. It was around this time that I slowly began to self-identify as a libertarian.

To say that “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” is different from other economics or libertarian books would be a gross understatement. The book is written as a series of parables following the travels of a young man named Jonathan Gullible stranded on the strange island of Corrumpo. This island serves as a setting for a thrashing of every commonly accepted fallacy of government and economics.

Ken’s book is masterful in its ability to deliver profound logic in language and analogy that a small child could understand. The book is equal parts “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Economics in One Lesson.” Instead of giving my friends “For a New Liberty” or “Human Action” (which they probably won’t read) I give them “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible”. I strongly believe that even the most stalwort non-libertarians who read this book from cover-to-cover will find their worldview resting a little less comfortably than before. Now back to my story…

My plan when I originally joined the military was to secure a job in the intelligence field (which I did), get out and go to school, and then get a job working for the NSA or some other government intelligence agency. My budding libertarianism and anti-statism proved problematic for this plan and it wasn’t long before I decided that I would be leaving the military after only one term and seeking more honest employment.

By the time I left the military I had been married to my wonderful wife for one year and we decided to stay where the military left us in Hawaii and finish school. I enrolled at Hawaii Pacific University to study computer science. It was around this time that I began working for the Ron Paul campaign.

Through volunteers of the campaign I was invited to attend The Foolish Things Salon, a monthly exchange of ideas that usually took place at the home of a man named Ken Schoolland. Believe it or not the name did not ring a bell. I asked the person next to me who this Ken Schoolland guy was and they told me he was the author of “The Adventure of Jonathan Gullible” and “The Philosophy of Liberty”.

I think at that moment my brain froze. How often do people get to meet their heroes at their homes and not even know it. (Sidenote: It was because of this experience that I began my habit of keeping track of authors names from every book, essay, or article I read).

The greatest news was yet to come. Ken Schoolland was a professor of economics at my university. I was ecstatic and resolved to take his class at the next opportunity. I am proud to say I will be taking his macroeconomics class in the Fall 2012 Semester.

You can buy your own copy of “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” from Amazon by clicking here.

The book is available in over 40 languages and in my humble opinion no libertarian’s bookshelf is complete without out it. My copy rests happily between “Man, Economy, and State” and “The Road to Serfdom“. Between such great books the “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” stands proud and deserving, because without it, I would have never read all the rest.

http://mikezentz.com/2012/07/adventur...

[Marco Pinheiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the "little prince" of freedom! What an amazing book 💪

[Chimzy (Chimzinum) Wali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Really fun to read. ❤️

[Henrique Bagatim Júnior · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Não se pode justificar uma ação má, embora feita com boa intenção." O fim não justifica os meios.
§1759 Catecismo da Igreja Católica

"Cuide primeiro dos meios, que os fins nobres virão" (Jonas, O Ingênuo)

O livro conta a historia de Jonas, que acaba por acidente numa ilha onde as pessoas e as formas operantes da ilha lhe são estranhas e confusas, sendo que ao questionar os habitantes locais, recebe respostas e argumentos que contradiziam entre si.

O livro tem como objetivo mostrar de forma simples, e até mesmo infantil as contradições de uma sociedade coletivista, e que como essa só prejudica aqueles na qual habitam, quando esses confiam em palavras e intenções invés de ações e resultados, ainda mais quando transferimos e/ou dão sua liberdade ao uma outra pessoa para essa decidir o que fazer e como fazer, sendo escravos voluntários de outros (políticos) ao negarem a propriedade de nossa própria vida.

E somente quando perdemos a liberdade, que damos conta de como ela nos é importante, e como o livro cita "Pois a virtude só pode existir quando há liberdade de escolha.", sendo que um sociedade sem liberdade é uma sociedade sem virtudes, onde ninguém é responsável e dono por nada e todos são responsáveis e donos do fracasso geral.

[Nga Le · Rating 4 out of 5]

Đã cho hẳn 4 sao khi mình thậm chí còn chưa đọc xong. Cuốn sách rất thú vị. Mình có cảm tưởng nó đang thử sức người đọc coi trình giải ẩn dụ của mình đến đâu. Từ những chương đầu, bạn dễ dàng đoán được nó đang đề cập đến vấn đề gì, bất cập gì trong xã hội và gật gù tâm đắc. Càng về sau càng ko theo kịp, ko hiểu và ko liên kết được thật ra đây là vấn đề gì. Không phải do sách, một phần từ bản dịch, nhưng có một sự nhục to lớn phải thừa nhận là để hiểu hết cái quyển này chắc mình phải đọc thêm về thể chế chính trị ở các nước phương Tây và ba cái thứ hằm bà lằng khác có liên quan.

Cuối cùng thì sau 2 tháng vật vã thì mình đã đọc xong cuốn sách này. Mình ấn tượng mạnh nhất chương 5 và chương 6. Nhưng để đến được "Miền tự do" được đề cập ở chương cuối cùng của quyển sách, đó là cả một chặng đường không biết khi nào đến, vì cơ bản loài người vẫn chỉ kế thừa và phát huy mạnh mẽ hơn những điều bất cập trong cuộc sống. "Miền tự do" ấy chắc chỉ khi chết đi, tâm thức của linh hồn mới đưa ta đc đến đó. Dạng dạng như cõi "Niết bàn thời @"... Chắc vại...

[Адриан Николов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Изключително интересна книжка, при това с висока познавателна стойност. Написана е в стила на "Нова Атлантида" на Франсис Бейкън - човек от добре позната цивилизация попада на остров, където е изграден качествено нов обществен строй, който всъщност е и основният предмет на повествованието. Това общество е пародия на принципите на държавна намеса в икономиката, защитавани от Кейнс. Целта на текста като цяло е да се покаже несъствоятелността на тези теории, и да окарикатури идалното кейнсиасно общество и живота на хората в него. Ценноста на книгата идва не от идеите които защитава - те не са нито нови, нито революционни, а в подхода, чрез който те са предстаени - не като тежка и наситена с термини теория, а във вид на приказка, разбираема и достъпна дори за малки деца.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

O mare furtună.

  Într-un oraş însorit de pe ţărmul mării, cu mult înainte de a se fi umplut cu stele de cinema în maşini decapotabile, trăia un tânăr pe nume Jonathan Gullible. Nimeni nu-l băga în seamă în afară de părinţii lui, care îl considerau deştept, sincer, şi foarte atletic… din vârful capului cu păr ciufulit de culoarea nisipului şi până la picioarele un pic cam mari. Munceau din greu într-un mic magazin de pe strada principală a orăşelului în care se găsea o flotă de pescari mereu ocupată. Mai trăiau acolo şi nişte oameni foarte muncitori, unii buni, alţii răi, iar cei mai mulţi pur şi simplu obişnuiţi.

  Când nu făcea mici corvoade sau comisioane pentru magazinul familiei, Jonathan îşi scotea barca cea veche din micul port şi pornea pe mare în căutarea aventurii. Ca mulţi alţi tineri care îşi petrec anii adolescenţei în acelaşi loc, Jonathan găsea că viaţa e puţin cam plictisitoare, iar oamenii din jurul lui nu au imaginaţie. Ar fi vrut să zărească, în scurtele sale călătorii dincolo de rada portului, un vapor ciudat sau un peşte uriaş. Poate că va întâlni un vas de piraţi şi va fi obligat să navigheze pe toate mările pământului, ca membru al echipajului. Sau poate că un vas de pescuit balene, aflat în căutare de pradă, îl va lua la bord pentru vânătoare. Cu toate astea, majoritatea scurtelor lui călătorii se terminau cu stomacul ţipând de foame şi gâtlejul uscat de sete, gândul la cină fiind singurul care să-i mai frământe mintea.

  Într-una din acele minunate zile de primăvară când aerul era apretat ca o foaie de hârtie uscată la soare, marea îi păru atât de atrăgătoare tânărului Jonathan, încât îşi împachetă imediat gustarea şi uneltele de pescuit şi porni cu bărcuţa lui într-o plimbare de-a lungul coastei. Stând cu spatele către briză, Jonathan nu observă norii întunecaţi de furtună care se adunau la orizont.

  Jonathan nu începuse de mult să navigheze dincolo de gura portului, dar se simţea încrezător. Când vântul începu să se înteţească, nu se îngrijoră decât atunci când era prea târziu. Nu trecu mult şi se lupta din greu cu valurile, furtuna abătându-se cu o forţă violentă asupra lui. Barca îi era aruncată ameţitor dintr-o parte în alta printre valuri, ca un dop de plută într-o căldare. Orice efort pe care îl făcea să-şi controleze barca era inutil împotriva vântului extrem de puternic. În cele din urmă, căzu pe fundul bărcii, ţinându-se strâns de margini şi sperând să nu se răstoarne. Ziua şi noaptea se amestecară într-un vârtej îngrozitor.

[Phạm Nam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Điểm: 4,2/5

Khác với phần lớn các tác phẩm về tự do, Guillible du ký không lựa chọn cách tiếp cận khô khan, cứng nhắc lý thuyết, mà thông qua hành trình khám phá của Guillible ở hòn đảo Corrumpo xa lạ. Ở đó, Guillible không khỏi ngạc nhiên trước những nguyên tắc xa lạ đến kỳ cục, tưởng chừng như không bao giờ xuất hiện ở thế giới của anh: bắt giữ người sáng tạo ra công cụ mới, vườn thú nhốt những người không đóng thuế, cảnh sát thực phẩm, thuế chiều cao hay chú Samta,... Tuy vậy, những điều tưởng chừng xa lạ ấy lại vô cùng gần gũi, đặc biệt với những quốc gia nơi dân chúng chịu sự chi phối và tác động quá mức của nhà nước.

Guillible du ký là tác phẩm khái quát về tự do kinh tế thú vị và dễ hiểu, mang đến cho người đọc đầy hứng thú với mỗi tình huống mà nhân vật chính gặp phải. Đặc biệt hơn nữa, để giúp cho người đọc dễ dàng nắm bắt ý tưởng của từng câu chuyện, Ken Schooland, ở mỗi cuối chương, luôn để dành một phần giải thích những ý tưởng của ông, những ẩn ý hay mục đích thưc sự mà ông muốn hướng đến, cùng với đó là những câu trích dẫn làm minh chứng thêm cho quan điểm về tự do của ông.

Cuốn sách rõ ràng là đáng đọc, nếu các bạn hứng thú với việc tìm hiểu thị trường tự do.

[Hiệu Better · Rating 3 out of 5]

40 chương. Theo cá nhân mình thì khoảng 1 nửa đươc nói khá ổn, ví dụ như các vấn đề: nhà nước trả tiền cho người nông dân để phá nông sản; tài sản của chung (thuộc nhà nước) thì bị lãng phí, phá huỷ (như ô nhiễm sông, vưt rác ra đường...).

Tuy nhiên một số vấn đề đó là thuộc các nhà nước trước đây.

Thứ 2, tác giả quá cực đoan. Tự do cực đoan quá. Không phải vấn đề gì cũng để cho cá nhân tự làm sẽ tốt hơn nhà nước làm.

Ví dụ xây cầu, đường, trường học, bệnh viện... nếu để cá nhân làm thì ai làm? Không ai làm free. Còn nếu 1 ai đó xây rồi thu phí thì cũng Rất khó. nếu làm được thì 1 nhóm cá nhân đủ thực lực làm và độc quyền và áp giá cao quá thì sao? Ai sẽ kiểm soát?

Một số vấn đề cá nhân làm tốt hơn nhà nước. Nhưng một số vấn đề không thể làm bởi cá nhân mà phải là nhà nước.

[Pieterjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, playful satire with some genuinely sharp moments. Schoolland turns political and economic ideas into simple fable-like episodes, making the book accessible and often entertaining.

The downside is that the satire sometimes leans so heavily on exaggeration that it feels a bit forced. You get why it’s over the top (it’s satire) but the delivery occasionally becomes too blunt, and some chapters read more like isolated pamphlets than parts of a flowing narrative.

What really balances this out, though, are the philosophical and economic commentaries after each chapter. Those reflections add depth and context, and they’re often more insightful than the story itself.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good libertarian book, a must read for anyone that wants to control their own life, rather than have it controlled by Big Uncle. Little Uncle is no problem, he will mentor you, let you learn from your mistakes, but best of all give you the freedom to grow. No, no uncles in the book, but rather numerous examples of what life under a Big Uncle is like.

[Jbussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in college and it's just a pity it is not in PLS. Amusing read. Talks of economic and political life heavy handedly, demonstrated with exaggerated caricatures, (is for 1st year college students so...)
even an idiot could figure out what he is saying. It takes some actual intellectual ability & study to debate the merits and flaws of the book. (Grad students maybe?)

[Roswitha Muntiyarso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sangat ringan dan mudah dibaca. Memberikan sebuah gambaran tentang pemahaman libertarian, kebebasan utuh di segala aspek kehidupan. Memberikan gambaran2 personifikasi yang menarik. Buku ini memberikan saya sudut pandang lain mengenai kebebasan.

[Const. CCR · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[José Antonio Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent alternative to teach and discuss the principles of a Free Society to the general public. The commented edition has extra resources and questions to help discuss and expand further.

[John D Ottini · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gives a great explanation of free market economics and how it can be used to alleviate poor government policy, but the story (adventure) itself was not terribly interesting.

[Alexandra SIMON · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty nice read for any economist/student.

[Marco Pinheiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just beautiful!! I can't understand how this book is not more famous. I would describe it as the "Libertarian Little Prince". Same style of writing, amazing insights and very simple to understand!

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Học thêmm về kinh tế qua các ví dụ rất sinh động

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book review of “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” by Ken Schoolland would not be enough to demonstrate the impact this book and more importantly this author have had on my life.

When I was in high school I stumbled across a video called “The Philosophy of Liberty.” This was a simple (especially by today’s standards) flash introduction to the concept of libertarianism. As I watched it I was fascinated by my inability to contest anything the video claimed.

At that time in my life I was probably what you would call a neoconservative and after I watched the video I still was. It was that video that began my own personal libertarian odyssey.

After high school I joined the United States Marines in a desire to protect America and pay for college. The Marines gave me some tests, told me I was smart, and sent me off to the Defense Language Institute to learn Indonesian.

Due to my language skills my time in the military was spent mostly in the Pacific Ocean onboard navy ships and wasting away in Okinawa. I traveled to many countries including Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, and Australia. Visiting these countries combined with my Christian missions trips in high school led me to question the idea of war between people who had never met and had no reason to hate each other.

It was on one of my longer sessions aboard the USS Essex that I read a book called “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” by Ken Schoolland. At the time I did not know that Ken Schoolland was also the author behind “The Philosophy of Liberty.” During my reading of that book something clicked. I could no longer accept things that I had previously believed were common sense. The book forced me to see societal fallacies all around me. It was around this time that I slowly began to self-identify as a libertarian.

To say that “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” is different from other economics or libertarian books would be a gross understatement. The book is written as a series of parables following the travels of a young man named Jonathan Gullible stranded on the strange island of Corrumpo. This island serves as a setting for a thrashing of every commonly accepted fallacy of government and economics.

Ken’s book is masterful in its ability to deliver profound logic in language and analogy that a small child could understand. The book is equal parts “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Economics in One Lesson.” Instead of giving my friends “For a New Liberty” or “Human Action” (which they probably won’t read) I give them “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible”. I strongly believe that even the most stalwort non-libertarians who read this book from cover-to-cover will find their worldview resting a little less comfortably than before. Now back to my story…

My plan when I originally joined the military was to secure a job in the intelligence field (which I did), get out and go to school, and then get a job working for the NSA or some other government intelligence agency. My budding libertarianism and anti-statism proved problematic for this plan and it wasn’t long before I decided that I would be leaving the military after only one term and seeking more honest employment.

By the time I left the military I had been married to my wonderful wife for one year and we decided to stay where the military left us in Hawaii and finish school. I enrolled at Hawaii Pacific University to study computer science. It was around this time that I began working for the Ron Paul campaign.

Through volunteers of the campaign I was invited to attend The Foolish Things Salon, a monthly exchange of ideas that usually took place at the home of a man named Ken Schoolland. Believe it or not the name did not ring a bell. I asked the person next to me who this Ken Schoolland guy was and they told me he was the author of “The Adventure of Jonathan Gullible” and “The Philosophy of Liberty”.

I think at that moment my brain froze. How often do people get to meet their heroes at their homes and not even know it. (Sidenote: It was because of this experience that I began my habit of keeping track of authors names from every book, essay, or article I read).

The greatest news was yet to come. Ken Schoolland was a professor of economics at my university. I was ecstatic and resolved to take his class at the next opportunity. I am proud to say I will be taking his macroeconomics class in the Fall 2012 Semester.

You can buy your own copy of “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” from Amazon by clicking here.

The book is available in over 40 languages and in my humble opinion no libertarian’s bookshelf is complete without out it. My copy rests happily between “Man, Economy, and State” and “The Road to Serfdom“. Between such great books the “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible” stands proud and deserving, because without it, I would have never read all the rest.

http://mikezentz.com/2012/07/adventur...

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sebuah buku yang mengetengahkan tentang kebebasan individu, kebebasan, kepemilikan pribadi, persaingan/perdagangan bebas dan pengurangan peran pemerintah dalam berbagai sektor kehidupan. Looks liberal? Yes it is. Buku ini memang dikarang oleh Ken Scholland seorang doktor ekonomi yang merupakan seorang liberal amerika, tepatnya berasal dari Hawai.

Buku ini ada 40 bab dimana masing masing bab terdapat dua bagian. Bagian pertama menceritakan tentang sebuah narasi yang menjadi pendahuluan mengenai sebuah topik yang sedang dibicarakan. Terus bagian yang kedua adalah bagian pembahasan umum dan daftar bacaan lanjutan.

Mungkin buku ini sangat berguna bagi seseorang untuk meningkatkan pemahaman mengenai kebebasan dan liberalisme. Sebuah tambahan sudut pandang. Bagi saya mungkin hanya itu.

[Yaruu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Либертари сангийн 2007 онд орчуулснаар нь уншсан. Хэт егөөдлөгө ихтэй ойлгоход энгийн, эдийн засгийн талаар товч өгүүлсэн санагдсан. Энэ зохиолд болж буй зүйлс манай оронд одоо ч болж байгаа нь тиймхэн санагдаж байна. Тэгээд өөртөө таалагдсан жонатаны зарчимыг энд бичье. " Та өөрийнхөө амьдралыг мэднэ "

[Daniel Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever book! It does a good job of showing just how erroneous the thinking is behind so much of what the government does. Things that can seem so normal, or common sense, can, when presented to you in a different light, take on a whole new meaning.

[İlayda Bilek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of a economically and politically dystopic world, described from a gullible teenager's eyes. System that is being criticised sound very similar to our world. If you liked 1984 and Clockwork Orange you will like this book as well.