Austrian School
This page covers the Austrian School in terms of politics. For a page on Austrian School from a philosophical perspective, see the Philosophyball Page
"If one rejects laissez faire on account of man's fallibility and moral weakness, one must for the same reason also reject every kind of government action."
The Austrian School, though not an actual political ideology but rather a school of economic theory, has been greatly influential among libertarian circles. It may be taken as the political ideology usually adhered to by those who follow this school of economics, giving rise to the term Austrolibertarianism shortened to Austrobert. Thus, as a political ideology, it usually takes form as libertarian, economically laissez-faire, and culturally variable but usually leaning right.
Philosophically, it is important to note that Mises' concept of praxeology as his methodology for the study of economic theory, stems from the kantian idea of the existence of synthetic a priori truths (that is, truths that can be deduced a priori but that require more than the use of formal logic), contrary to empiricism, which claims that the only synthetic truths that exist are discovered through a posteriori experience.
From this epistemological pre-supposition about the nature of knowledge, follows that economics studies can't be done by empirical methods due to it being a social science and not a hard science, making precise economic measurements completely impossible, and thus economics theory can only be studied a priori deducted from the "action axiom".
This, however, does not mean that it completely rejects empiricism in the area of economics. It makes a distinction between economic theory and economic history, believing that it is perfectly possible to accurately back claims about economic history with empirical evidence, but rather that these claims are useless in order to prove or disprove any claim in the realm of economic theory, simply exemplifying it.
History
Tenets
The Austrian-American economist Fritz Machlup has distinguished six general principles that distinguish the methodology of the Austrian school of economics, as well as two additional principles which together with the methodological principles conform to the politics of Austrolibertarianism.[2]
Methodological Individualism
Methodological individualism is the scientific principle that social phenomena are to be explained through the actions of individuals, instead of groups, as the latter can be explained by the former. According to methodological individualists, collectives may only exert influence through the actions of their individual members, and whether or not an action is attributed to the group or to an individual depends on the interpretation of the observer.
Methodological Subjectivism
Methodological Subjectivism is the principle that economic phenomena are generally to be explained through the subjective judgments made by different economic actors, taking into account that each one seeks to maximize their utility, usually through maximizing their monetary revenue.
Tastes and Preferences
Subjective valuations of goods and services determine the demand for them, so their prices are influenced by the current and potential scales of preference of consumers.
Opportunity Cost
Opportunity cost is the cost of any activity measured in terms of the value of the next best alternative foregone (that is not chosen). It is the sacrifice related to the second-best choice available to someone, or a group, who has picked among several mutually exclusive choices.
Opportunity cost is a key concept in mainstream economics and has been described as expressing "the basic relationship between scarcity and choice". The notion of opportunity cost plays a crucial part in ensuring that resources are used efficiently.
Marginalism
Marginalism is an economic theory that states that the value of a determined good is the value of its subjectively least valuable use. Thus, the marginal value (of the next unit of the good in question to be acquired) decreases as the most valuable uses for the good are satisfied, or the opposite happens as one's stock of a good decreases, as one forgoes the least valuable uses for a good firstly upon losing a certain amount of such good.
Consequently, in all economic designs, the values, costs, revenues, productivity, and so on are determined by the significance of the last unit added to or subtracted from the total stock.
Time Structure
Decisions to save (for future consumption) or spend reflect "time preferences" regarding consumption in the immediate, distant, or indefinite future and investments are made in view of larger outputs (interest) expected to be obtained if more time-taking production processes are undertaken.
Consumer Sovereignty
The influence consumers have on the effective demand for goods and services and through the prices which result in free competitive markets, on the production plans of producers and investors, is not merely a hard fact but also an important objective, attainable only by complete avoidance of governmental interference with the markets and of restrictions on the freedom of sellers and buyers to follow their own judgment regarding quantities, qualities and prices of products and services.
Political Individualism
Only when individuals are given full economic freedom is it possible to secure political and moral freedom. Restrictions on economic freedom lead, sooner or later, to an extension of the coercive activities of the state into the political domain, undermining and eventually destroying the essential individual liberties which the capitalistic societies were able to acquire in the 19th century
Variants
Distributist Libertarianism
Distributist Libertarianism (also known as Southern Distributism) is an economically center-right to right-wing, libertarian, and culturally center-right ideology, advocating for an economic system based on widely-spread property ownership and a society culturally based on Catholic social teachings. Distributist Libertarians do not believe that laissez-faire Austrian school economics results in an unfair concentration of power, but rather that the vast majority of concentration of power in capitalist economic systems occurs because of state intervention in the economy (for example; Intellectual "Property", Subsidies, Inconsistent Taxation, everything Keynes advocates for, and such).
How to Draw
Austrian School's design is a combination of Austria's and the Gadsden flags.
- Draw a ball
- Separate the ball into 3 equal horizontal bars (a tricolor), with the top and bottom being pinkish-red, and the middle one being white
- Draw a black rattlesnake in the middle of the ball
- Add green grass below the snake
- Lower below, add some variation of the quote "DON'T TREAD ON ME", like "no step on snek"
- Alternatively, you can write "TRITT NICHT AUF MICH" or simply "NEIN" (in German, meaning "DO NOT TREAD ON ME" and "NO" respectively)
- Draw the eyes
You're done!
Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
---|---|---|---|
Pinkish Red | #EE2436 | 238, 36, 54 | |
White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | |
Black | #141414 | 20, 20, 20 | |
Grass Green | #194619 | 25, 70, 25 |
Relationships
Austrobert's behavior is based on one of the stereotype of Mises, calling everyone a socialist (Especially for "modern liberal" in the Western sense and even Friedmanite-style Libertarians or Hayekians.)
True Capitalists
- Classical Liberalism - My greatest influence and the best granddad I could ask for.
- Hayekism - My son and a fellow Austrian.
- Paleolibertarianism - Similar to me, but a bit more traditional.
- Anarcho-Capitalism - Rothbardian Ancap, very based indeed.
- Minarchism - Separation of state and business? Based!
- Hoppeanism - Fellow Rothbardian, though some quotes of his are a little... odd...
- Libertarianism - He's fun to hang out with, he needs to read some Mises.
- Chicago School - We agree on most of the things and want to get to the almost the same results, but we disagree on the way to analyze the economy and some instances of monetary policies.
- National Liberalism - 19th century patriotic liberal movements in Europe were a great advance on liberty.
- National Libertarianism - Improved contemporary version of above.
- Autarchy - Yes individuals are self-owners therefore have the right to self-government.
MGTOW & Neomasculinity - Manly!
Commie Sympathyzers
- Paleoconservatism - He used to be a cool guy back in the day, but now he's a protectionist that doesn't value free trade, also too statist.
- Dengism - Some of us think you're allowing markets to flourish, while others think you're still imposing a lot of controls that stifle economic growth. In short, housing bubbles and post-Keynesianism are dangerous.
- Fascism - "It cannot be denied that Fascism and similar movements aiming at the establishment of dictatorships are full of the best intentions and that their intervention has, for the moment, saved European civilization. The merit that Fascism has thereby won for itself will live on eternally in history. But though its policy has brought salvation for the moment, it is not of the kind which could promise continued success. Fascism was an emergency makeshift. To view it as something more would be a fatal error."
- Austrofascism - My fascist twin.
Thanks for choosing me as your main economic advisor. - National Capitalism - My beloved son, loves laissez-faire economy. BUT WHY WOULD HATE THE JEWS? JEWS ARE THE BEST AUSTRIAN ECONOMIST!
- Reactionary Liberalism - Erik Von Kuehnelt-Leddinh and Vilfredo Pareto are based though you take too many steroids .
- Clock Crossroad - That's what I'm talking about, besides we have a Frenemieship: he calls me utopic and essentially cosmopolitist but I'm also a great inspiration for him in the economic field.
- National Democracy - Paleocon, but Polish. Roman Rybarski and Adam Heydel are pretty based at least.
- Neoliberalism & Ordo-Liberalism - Stop granting legitimization to socialism.
- Alt-Lite - Some of you are based specially Naomi Seibt but Bannon hates me.
- Neo-Libertarianism - Why are you an imperialist?
SOCIALISTS!!!!!
- Austromarxism - My evil commie twin.
- Democratic Socialism - He is corrupting modern day politics with this socialist garbage.
- Keynesian School - I cannot stand him, he doesn't understand simple economics! End the fed.
- Nazism - I hate this statist prick. The best Austrian economists are Jews, and he hates them for that!
- Marxism–Leninism - ECP, commie!
- National Bolshevism - A disgusting fusion of the two above.
- Corporatocracy - Companies being dominant as an ideology is a hell.
Laissez-faire does not allow this to happen, they're smart and can regulate themselves. I swear, just trust me, guys. - Socialism - Age old enemy.
STOP CALLING ME A MISESTARD!!! - Market Socialism - So this is how they're trying to save socialism, huh? Too bad it still won't work.
- - Wouldn’t it be ironic if my tactics are the only thing that can save capitalism?
- Cybercommunism - AI won't solve the ECP, commie!
- Regulationism - Don't tread on me, statist trash!
- Social Capitalism, Social Liberalism & Social Democracy - All socialists wearing capitalist masks!
- Neo-Ottomanism - Your interest rate policy is an absolute disaster.
- Third Way - Your policy will never provide a "third way" between capitalism and socialism.
Literally anyone to the left of Mises
Further Information
For overlapping political theory see:
Literature
- Human Action by Ludwig Von Mises | Audiobook
- Economic Calculation Problem in the Socialist Commonwealth by Ludwig Von Mises
- Individualism and the Economic Order by Friedrich August Von Hayek
- What Has Government Done to Our Money? by Murray N. Rothbard
- Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market by Murray N. Rothbard
- Capital and Interest by Eugen Von Bohm-Bawerk
- Principles of Economics by Carl Menger
- The Forgotten Greatness of Rothbard's Preface to Theory and History by George Pickering
Critiques
Wikipedia
- Austrian School
- Category: Austrian School
- Right-Libertarianism
- Methodological individualism
- Austrian business cycle theory
- Subjective theory of value
- Party of Reason
Videos
- Masters of Austrian Economics by The Academic Agent
- Austrian Econ Basics by Anglo Libertarian
- Human Action by Fundacja Wolności i Przedsiębiorczości
- Interview With An Austrian Voluntaryist by IdeoLogs
- Austrian vs. Chicago economics by ReasonTV
Channels
Online Communities
References
Gallery
Comics
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Credit: u/K-Tech2 Source
Portraits and Artwork
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Original Portrait
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Another old portrait
Alternative designs
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Distributist Libertarianism
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Distributist Libertarianism 2