Lee Friday
Attaining the highest possible level of peace and prosperity in society requires adherence to some basic principles.
An individual must not cause physical harm to another individual, or the property of another individual. When A causes physical harm to the body or property of B, without the consent of B, then A must compensate B. With this proviso in place, individuals must have the freedom to interact with each other, in any way they choose, without interference from other individuals.
When two individuals voluntarily decide to make an exchange (trade), a third party (including government) does not have the moral right to interfere with this exchange. Nor does a third party have the moral right to force individuals to make exchanges to which they have not voluntarily agreed.
The freedom of choice – the freedom to associate or not associate with others – the freedom to make exchanges, or not make exchanges with others – the freedom to live one’s life as one chooses, so long as one does not cause physical harm to others, or to the property of others. These are the principles which lie at the heart of every article and essay you will find on this site.
If we want to enjoy the highest level of peace and prosperity which humans can possibly achieve, we must adhere to these principles, without exception. A principle, by definition, is not open to compromise.
I value the knowledge acquired during a 23-year-career in the financial industry, and many years of extensive, and ongoing, research. The top ten books which have influenced my thinking are:
Human Action – A Treatise On Economics . . . . . . Ludwig von Mises
Socialism – An Economic and Sociological Analysis . . . . . . Ludwig von Mises
Man, Economy, and State, with Power and Market . . . . . . Murray N. Rothbard
The Ethics of Liberty . . . . . . Murray N. Rothbard
Money, Bank Credit, and Economic Cycles . . . . . . Jesus Huerta de Soto
The Creature from Jekyll Island, A Second Look at the Federal Reserve . . . . . . G. Edward Griffin
Knowledge and Decisions . . . . . . Thomas Sowell
The Great Deformation, The Corruption of Capitalism in America . . . . . . David A. Stockman
The Enterprise of Law, Justice Without the State . . . . . . Bruce L. Benson
Democracy, The God That Failed – The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy, and Natural Order . . . . . . Hans-Hermann Hoppe
