Mises for Dummies
I’m just about to embark on reading von Mises’ Human Action, a project that will no doubt occupy me for some time. And I keep seeing the words ‘praxis’ and ‘praxaeology’ used to describe said ‘human action’. Now this looks awfully like a wank word to me (something I dislike postmodernists and lawyers doing, let alone anyone else). Because I don’t like wank words, and because the only God I worship is one called ‘clear and simple expression’, I’d like some explanation.
I’m not an economist – as Mr Tex pointed out in his debut post, I too just have a pretty fair idea of what works – but I’m willing to learn. This post is a call to all you economists out there (and there are a lot of them on this blog) to educate this libertarian lawyer.
What the Hell is Mises on about?
What is Equity?
I noticed while reading the Free Speech and Music thread that there was considerable confusion about the nature of remedies available in defamation cases. This post should be read as an adjunct to my comment on that thread, and – it is hoped – it should make arguments about reputation, rights and compensation a little clearer.
Equity is that body of rules developed by the Court of Chancery before the Judicature Acts and since then in courts exercising equitable jurisdiction. It first emerged from under the common law due to inadequacies in the latter. By the late Middle Ages, the common law had become rigid, particularly in its procedure. Justice was not available to a petitioner whose grievance fell outside the established system of writs, or who sought to bring a claim against a locally powerful defendant. Importantly, in a time when common law judges supposedly ‘declared’ the law, equity openly admitted its judges made law. At least initially, it was unencumbered by precedent and decided cases according to ‘rules of equity and good conscience’, leading to Seldon’s jest that ‘equity is a roguish thing […] they should make the standard for its measure the chancellor’s foot’.
Ashes price gouging
It’s become fairly well known that security for the first test is very tight. Most people would argue that this is fair enough, but I’m wondering if tight security is covering for a multitude of other sins. People were not allowed to take any bags into the Gabba – and anything left outside in what amounted to ‘lockers’ cost you $5.00 before you could retrieve it. Fans were also shelling out $5.50 for mid-strength beers and paying a fortune for pretty ordinary food from vendors in the ground.
I’m not as sanguine about the War on Terror as John Humphreys, but after this little exercise I’m starting to think that some people – the suppliers of food and beverages at cricket matches, for example - have a vested interest in making things look worse than they are. They can then rip the punters off with impunity.
And if people weren’t told about the $5 locker room/leave your bags at the door charge before hand, I suspect the Trade Practices Act may come into play.
What gives?
Catallaxy is back on deck (again)
… I realize people are going to start calling us Lazarus soon, but if it’s any consolation it’s because we’re getting more popular by the day.
Skepticlawyer’s Sydney blogmeet
I’ll be in Sydney for work stuff in mid-December, and have earmarked December 16 (that’s a Saturday) to meet up with Sydney bloggers and other interested parties. Jason over at Catallaxy is in charge of time and venue (I know very little about Sydney). I’ve also got a bit of spare time otherwise, so a convivial libertarian dinner on another night is on the cards, too.
Catallaxy back on deck
Just letting you all know that Catallaxy is back on deck, and that we’ve come up with a solution that should prevent our server frying after being Crikied and Australianed in the one week. That said, you’ll have to reach us via http://catallaxyfiles.com/
The old badanalysis link no longer works; c8to, our techie, is migrating all the material across from the old server.
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Catallaxy Files- Open Forum: February 11, 2012 February 10, 2012 Sinclair Davidson
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- inCISe
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- Quiggin versus Carling and Kirchner February 9, 2012John Quiggin accuses Robert Carling and I of ‘an appalling breach of elementary standards of research’ for not acknowledging that Alberto Alesina’s work on the effectiveness of fiscal stimulus and consolidations is ‘highly controversial.’ In fact, we referenced Alesina’s work precisely because it has featured so prominently in public debate, including in the […]Stephen Kirchner
- Police going too far February 9, 2012According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, police are lecturing parents for letting their children walk to the shops or catch a bus on their own, with senior police saying such incidents will be reported to the Department of Community Services (DOCs) if a child is considered at risk. But when is a child ‘at risk’? One mother was told it was inappr […]Sara Hudson
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- We'll huff, we'll puff, we'll blow the budget into surplus February 8, 2012Bill Clinton famously said, "It's the economy, stupid". So it is. Unsuccessful politicians might be inclined to argue,...
- Let European dogs lie February 9, 2012
