Mises: Scholar, Creator, Hero

Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973) was the renowned economist and social philosopher of the 20th century. In the course of his long and highly productive life, he developed an integrated, deductive science of economics based on the fundamental axiom that individual human beings act purposively to achieve desired goals. The purpose of this essay is to discuss and celebrate the life and work of this great creative mind of our century.

Born on September 29, 1881, in the city of Lemberg (now Lvov), in Galicia, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Mises's father, Arthur Edler von Mises, was a Viennese construction engineer working for the Austrian railroads, who was stationed in Lemberg at the time. Mises's mother, Adele Landau, also came from a prominent family in Vienna, with her uncle, Dr. Joachim Landau, being a deputy from the Liberal Party in the Austrian Parliament.

Mises's influence was remarkable, considering the unpopularity of his epistemological and political views. His students of the 1920s, even those who later became Keynesians, were permanently stamped by a visible Misesian influence. Since his death in New York City on October 10, 1973, at the age of 92, Misesian doctrine and influence has experienced a renaissance.

Taking the lead in this revival of Mises and in the study and expansion of Misesian doctrine has been the Ludwig von Mises Institute, founded by Llewellyn Rockwell, Jr. in 1982 and headquartered in Auburn, Alabama. The Mises Institute publishes scholarly journals and books, and offers courses in elementary, intermediate and advanced Austrian economics, which attract increasing numbers of students and professors. Undoubtedly, the collapse of socialism and the increased attractiveness of the free market have greatly contributed to this upsurge of popularity.

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