I am currently reading Human Action for a second time. Much like the first time through, I often find myself reading something about five times and still not knowing what the hell Mises is talking about.
Obviously, this work is a classic with countless memorable passages. But often the manner in which it is written makes reading it a chore.
If one were to write a lucid, modern translation of Human Action, would you buy it? How much would you pay if it were in the clear prose of a Lew Rockwell or Tom Woods? I would pay at least $50, wouldn’t be surprised to shell out $75 for one.
I have, I own both. As much as I like Rothbard, Mises just brings more rocktitude. I like Mises historical antedotes, for example, the recent Mises Daily in which he spoke of the interpretations of the Industrial Revolution. There’s just something about Human Action I like better. Hes the King.
Its Jeff Riggenbach (sp?). Theres also an old audio version with a British guy whom I like even more than Jeff, who does a fantasitic and entertaining audio rendition of the book. But thats not what I am asking.
Would you buy a copy of Human Action if somebody were to transcribe it into a more modern and clear prose?
It honestly doesn’t sound like a good idea. You’re taking someone’s work and pretty much dumbing it down for a contemporary audience. There’s a study guide for Human Action, plus other works that are referenced thoughout the book, for further reading on what may be confusing. Generally most people would be reading other books on economic theory as well as far as having a background in economics. Not sure if we need a Human Action For Dummies.
It wouldn’t be Human Action for dummies. How in the world is it all the sudden for dummies just because its transcribed in an easier to read format?
Its Human Action. Same Content. Same theories. Same order. Same Mises. Same everything, just made easier to read therefore more accessible and easier to grasp. Thats not ‘dumbing it down’ by any means. I dont think it would take anything away. If anything, people could learn the same content in a shorter amount of time becuase they arent spending their time figuring out what he is saying. Having the study guide helps, but it doesnt go over every single thing Mises writes.
Furthermore, what is so bad about making Mises more accessible for a contemporary audience? Wouldnt that be a good thing?
Same Content. Same theories. Same author. Same everything, just made easier to read therefore more accessible and easier to grasp.
Then what would be changed? If you change it from it’s original format I don’t see how it’s the work of Mises. It may have the same theories, but I wouldn’t be so sure about the same content. I don’t see why anything needs to be changed. What he wrote is exactly what he meant to write.
Dude…how would it not be the work of Mises? How could you not be so sure it would be the same content? It would be exactly the same content. I described eight times above what would be changed: Sentence by sentence would be transcribed to say exactly what Mises was saying, only in a more modern prose. It would say exactly what he meant to write. This book is notorious for being an extremely hard book to follow at times. I think it would be a good idea to make it so it says the exact same thing, only easier to follow.
I’m having the same problem with Human Action right now. Many of the sentences are extremely long and could probably use some more commas to help with readability.
But my personality is such that I would prefer an edition more directly from Mises own words, even if it is harder to read, rather than a more modern translation, as I would fear that the modern translation would be missing some of the intended meaning. Ultimately, there are many things higher up on my value scale than a modern translation of Human Action that would cost less.
Yeah I decided early on that my first reading of HA would most likely not be my last, so I didn’t sweat picking up every single nuance and tried to enjoy it. To me it seemed like a less systematic treatment of economics than MES, and written more as a stream of consciousness, more a transcribed lecture than a textbook. Mises just has a certain way of saying things, sometimes profound, sometimes hilarious, that I fear would be lost if his words were changed. Murphy’s study guide seems like it does a good job explaining some of the more obscure, dated objections that Mises is responding to, which I found helpful. But outside of that, I think Mises put so much thought into just the right way to put certain concepts that it would take an even greater economic genius to improve on it without losing some of the finer, but essential, points.
I described eight times above what would be changed: Sentence by sentence would be transcribed to say exactly what Mises was saying, only in a more modern prose.
It’s not like Shakespeare wrote Human Action. I don’t know how much more modern you can get. Give an example of what you mean.
I’m currently reading Human Action as well as other books. I wouldn’t change a word as much as I wouldn’t change a word of Nietzsche’s works.
I don’t remember it exactly, but there’s a line from Mises on people trying to explain economics using metaphors and in other ways that would appeal to the layman, but by doing so it completely misses the point and is a failed attempt in explaining economic theory. I’m sure Mises had this in mind when writing Human Action.
I think the study guide is the closest people will get to a “translation” of MIses’ work. Its got summaries of each section, summaries of whole chapters, and little points and tidbits about the book that clear things up. If you want more, I’m sure there are blogs and stuff that write their own book summaries.If you want even more (I know this has been said before) there is Rothbard’s MES, which teaches economics much clearer and in a more deductive step by step fashion. I don’t think Mises wanted Human Action to be read easily. Its something that has to be read carefully and not brushed over because the stuff he writes was meant to be dense and descriptive. Also, sentence by sentence is a little ridiculous, I don’t think I have ever heard anyone do that for any book, let alone an economic treatise that spans over 800 pages (play translations are a different story). I also don’t think there would be enough of a widespread audience to make that undertaking worthwhile, because much of what Mises wrote has been put into study guides, other treatises and most other books. Not to mention, it really wouldn’t be Mises, because he wrote the sentences in the way he thought best. 50-60 years ago isn’t really that long ago for someone’s book to be translated, he just used really difficult words not old english.
Man, Economy, and State is a much different book than Human Action, and the fact that the writing styles are much different is only a reflection of that. I don’t think that it would be possible to make Human Action sound at all like Man, Economy, and State without stripping off a lot of content.
I know it has been said, can’t remember where, but I know it was from one of the things I read from/on this site, that part of the language was his unfamiliarity with English, and English lacking words to express concepts that exist in German. An example is Karl Von Clausewitz’s “War is the continuation of politics by other means,” where his original German meaning of politik is both policy and politics.
This can impact the translation/writing of any author not natively familiar with English.
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