May as well ask this question while I’m at it. Since we’re at Mises, I assume we are (mostly) Austrians in some fashion. But, which person unaffiliated with the Austrian school impacted you a great deal? It can range from any discipline, but I’m mostly looking at philosophy.
I’m a huge fan of the following people and my worldview is basically a synthesis (with varying degrees of proportion) of: Christopher Hitchens (just for his antitheist tirades ), Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, J.L. Mackie, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Henry David Thoreau, Dan Dennett, Carl Sagan, H.L. Mencken, and Max Stirner.
A ton. More than I can count. Stirner, Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, Epicurius and Aristotle off the top of my head for people who have had a profound impact on me more than any Austrian (or economist) that may be appropriate to this forum. The list could honestly go on much longer (and into much more personal ground) and into territories that are much morerelevant and remote to this forum.
There are many, but one who comes to mind is Thomas Sowell. When I read his Basic Economics years ago it started me on the path that ultimately led me to libertarianism. He’s a brilliant man and often puts forth unique arguments and perspectives in favor of positions that I already agree with him on, so it’s always refreshing to hear what he has to say. I sometimes think people like him are useful to Austrians because they can bridge the communication gap between ourselves and neoclassical/Chicago school types.
I’m tempted to say ‘Sowell’ but I consider him to be a bit tent Austrian - if you read his ‘knowledge and decisions’; it really doesn’t get any more Austrian than that; imo.
Anyway; besides the standard non-Austrian libertarians; obviously Aristotle, Michael Oakeshott, John Rawls, Robert NozickDeirdre McCloskey, Tom Palmer, Berman, Herzlinger, H.B. Acton, Schloeck and so on and so forth.
If we’re talking really big impact; probably Michael Oakeshott, John Rawls and Robert Nozick. It’s hard to think of any others at this point.
If you want and can find the time, would you like to elaborate on NN Taleb a bit? Not because I don’t get why’s on the list, but I have his Black Swan lying around somewhere and I’m trying to estimate wether or not I should take the time to read it.
Immanuel Kant. Though he is not that popular anymore, Mises formulated praxeology in accordance to Kants writings. His work in ethics shows what ethical at the core means. His political work, is, like almost anything at that time, statist but still influences politics. His epistemology is great and influenced many many thinkers. His work in general was very influential and I still have to read most of his great works.
The mentioned Nietzsche and Taleb are also on my list. So far my list is very very very short, but I’m still young and hope to have some time to find more thinkers to light my way.
Robert Prechter, president of Elliottwave International and uber-deflationist. He actually has written a couple of dailys on Mises, but I’m not sure he’s quite Austrian. He likely holds quite fiercely to the idea of IP, otherwise his market forecasting newsletter business would be a shell what it is. At the bottom of his newsletter, there in small print, is language that states something like “we will trace down any illegally distributed copies of these newsletters”.
Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Lawrence Krauss. Yes, they’re all scientists. They’ve all helped me understand the universe (that sounds quiet hippy-ish) and the whole “is there a creator” thing.
