The Economics and Ethics of Private Property

by Hans-Hermann Hoppe

"Do not steal" is an excellent principle of ethics; it is also the first principle of sound economic systems. In our time, no one has done more than Hans-Hermann Hoppe to elaborate on the sociological implications of this truth. And this is his great work on the topic.The Austrian tradition is known for offering the most hard-core defense of private property, and the most consistent application of that principle, of any school of economics. The work of Hoppe — whose books have been translated into a dozen languages — has focused heavy philosophical and economic attention on this principle. This book, the second expanded edition after a long period in which the book was unavailable, collects his most important scholarly essays on the topic. Hoppe covers a wide range of employment, interest, money, banking, trade cycles, taxes, public goods, war, imperialism, and the rise and fall of civilizations. Throughout, Hoppe consistently applies one core theoretical insight, one that the economic mainstream that the absolute inviolability of private property as a human right is the basis of continuous economic progress. The right to private property is an indisputably valid, absolute principle of ethics, argues Hoppe. Indeed, it is the basis for civilizational advance and the very foundation of social order itself. To rise from the ruins of socialism and overcome the stagnation of the Western welfare states, nothing will suffice but the uncompromising privatization of all government property and the establishment of a contractual society based on the recognition of private-property rights. Hans Hermann-Hoppe is professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a senior fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute. This edition is an expansion of the original (1993), with new essays on epistemology, ethics, and economics. Barron's writes, "Hans-Hermann Hoppe's dryly titled The Economics and Ethics of Private Property (von Mises Institute, 2006), is anything but dry. When Ludwig von Mises brought "Austrian School" economics to the U.S., the American Murray Rothbard became his worthy disciple. With Rothbard's death in 1995, the German-born Hoppe, a professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, became Rothbard's most important disciple by far."Hoppe's writings are like a laser beam. The clarity and force of his arguments seemingly can't fail to hit their targets. But be prepared for arguments that push you beyond your limits. For Hoppe is a Misesian of the Rothbardian an anarcho-capitalist eager to convince you that anything useful that the state does, the market can do better — in fact, that the state so abuses its appointed roles there is really no contest between the two."To search for Mises Institute titles, enter a keyword and LvMI (short for Ludwig von Mises Institute); e.g., Depression LvMI

Genres: Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Nonfiction, Law

431 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Fabricio Ter★n]

It integrates austrolibertarian theories of Mises, Rothbard and Hoppe into a grand, comprehensive and unified system of human sciences encompassing epistemology, praxeology, ethics, economics, politics, sociology, history and culture.

I think David Gordon have a review that should be consulted http://mises.org/daily/2313

[Vagabond of Letters, DLitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10

The work in here is 9 or so on the 10 scale and worth it for 'From the Economics of Laissez Faire to the Ethics of Libertarianism' alone.

The problem is a full 20% of the book comprises reproductions of articles that justify argumentation ethics. Repeatedly, with little variation, just a catena of wherever Hoppe published his argument. About 7 or 9 times' worth. Unlike most political philosophers, I believe argumentation ethics are valid and Hoppe's argument for them is 90% valid as it stands and can easily be made 100% valid, but... just introduce it one time, then reproduce the critical responses, then rebut the critical responses. No need for half a dozen or more basically identical statements of the same concept.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deserves 4.5/5 stars. One thing I really enjoyed in this book was Hoppe's discussion of the false distinction between public and private goods.

[Adrián Sánchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aunque estoy de acuerdo con muchas de las conclusiones libertarias a las que llega Hoppe no estoy de acuerdo en el método que usa para llegar a ellas y su incesante tarea de meter la "argumentación" que como bien dice, es una subcategoría de la acción, como pre suposición apriorística para demostrar los derechos de propiedad, tal proposición cae en la guillotina de Hume precisamente, no todo agente necesita argumentar para que sus derechos negativos sean validados, de hecho, la misma apropiación original lockeana que defiende Hoppe no necesita de una argumentación para que se respeten sus derechos de propiedad privada.

Creo que Hoppe tiene el mismo error que Mises al referirse que su axioma de "hacer X" no puede ser refutado si para hacerlo tengo que "hacer X", puedo refutar "hacer X" con solo señalar a alguien que "no haga X" y el cual sus derechos todavía deben ser válidos, es decir, Hoppe y Mises caen en la guillotina de Hume al justificar sus axiomas. Hoppe quiere vender que su "ética argumentativa" es lo que caracteriza a las escuela austriaca aún cuando dentro de la escuela austriaca hay críticos de ese sistema, incluso dentro de los propios rothbardianos, esto me parece una deshonestidad intelectual de su parte.

El otro tema que me suele parecer una pérdida de tiempo es que el tema epistemológico lo trata como si aún estuviéramos en la época del methodestreit, como si todavía es relevante esa pelea entre positivismo y racionalismo, de hecho, veo grave como Hoppe mete en una misma bolsa al positivismo y el racionalismo critico de Popper, Popper también criticó el positivismo y los positivistas también critican el criterio de falsacionismo popperiano, este libro es relativamente actual y Hoppe no sabe que actualmente (incluso para la fecha del libro) mucho desarrollo en las Ciencias Sociales hacen uso de inferencias bayesianas para demostrar hechos del mundo real de manera probabilística, si, se puede criticar muchas carencias del positivismo y del emprirismo, yo mismo creo que el empirismo también tiene sus fallas y no se debe dejar atrás el conocimiento a priori, muchos lo hacen pero nada de eso lleva a la conclusión de que su método es superior, y consta, dado que en sus obras más actuales, Hoppe trata de justificar sus políticas realistas con... pruebas empíricas (muy malas por cierto pero igual entrando en contradicción con su metodología)

Creo que el libro pretende ser un compendio para aglutinar las ideas libertarias pero hay mejores libros para eso, incluso dentro de la escuela austriaca.

[Trevor Schleihauf · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me A YEAR to finish this book. Now I’m an an Austrian economist through and through, but jeez, I mean some pages were 80% footnotes. Only pick this up if you are dedicated to the climb. This is coming from the guy who read human action for fun.

[Frederick Hammill · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had a distinct anti-Jesus feel to me. Stay away Christians!

[Jose Graterol De La Hoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoppe is a living legend to me.

[Henrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always refreshing to read a Hoppe book. This collection of essays is no exception.

[Miikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite essays: Theory of Employment, Money, Interest, and the Capitalist Process: The Misesian Case Against Keynes and Socialism: A Property or Knowledge Problem?

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some very good sections in this book, I’m not totally sold on argumentation ethics. Above all I think this is a ‘popular’ text so it goes through a whole lot in a short time.

[Geir · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed book. Some essays are very thought-provoking and strong in their arguments. Others are very technical to the point of dry academic considerations. I should really rate each essay of the book, but won't. I recommend that all those interested in politics, sociology and philosophy in general acquire the book and read it or at least sections of it. In retrospect I can truly say that I would be mentally poorer if I had not read the book.

[Bry Willis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great. An exercise in Libertarian mental masturbation, where Hoppe takes grandiose concepts built upon so-called 'natural law', an anachronism from the Age of Enlightenment. Without a basis, he continues to spin a narrative without satisfactorily resolving the prime question: whence did the original right to property stem?

[Jean-olivier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, but repetitive at times.

This book is a true gem of logic, and should be considered a must read. It defends its ideas remarkably well. However, it is clearly a collection of essays by Hoppe, and hence, some of the ideas and arguments are restated almost word for word, 3, 4 or even 5 times. Nonetheless, a must read.

[John Jolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thick, philosophic book, but well worth the read. Delves deep into the fundamentals and implications of Argumentation Ethics

[Kezscribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,7 ⭐

Hans Hermann Hoppe is a great thinker and philosopher, but unfortunately, he's not a great writer.