
Photo: Ludwig von Mises Institute · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Economic (X)
- 100
- Personal (Y)
- 90
Where we'd place Ludwig von Mises based on their public statements and/or writings. Take the quiz to see where you land.
Ludwig von Mises
Economist/Philosopher
Late Luminaries & Iconoclasts
...Government interference always means either violent action or the threat of such action. The funds that a government spends for whatever purposes are levied by taxation. And taxes are paid because the taxpayers are afraid of offering resistance to the tax gatherers. They know that any disobedience or resistance is hopeless. As long as this is the state of affairs, the government is able to collect the money that it wants to spend. Government is in the last resort the employment of armed men, of policemen, gendarmes, soldiers, prison guards, and hangmen. The essential feature of government is the enforcement of its decrees by beating, killing, and imprisoning. Those who are asking for more government interference are asking ultimately for more compulsion and less freedom.
Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973) was an Austrian-American economist and philosopher renowned for his defense of classical liberalism and free-market capitalism. He was a leading figure in the Austrian School of economic thought, emphasizing the importance of individual choice and voluntary cooperation in economic affairs. Mises argued that economic freedom is essential for political and personal liberty, warning that government intervention often leads to authoritarianism. His seminal works, including Human Action and Socialism, continue to influence libertarian and free-market thinkers today.
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