Theory and history;: An interpretation of social and economic evolution

New hardcover edition, introduction by Murray N. Rothbard Like Hayek, Mises moved beyond economics in his later years to address questions regarding the foundation of all social science. But unlike Hayek's attempts, Mises's writings on these matters have received less attention than they deserve. Theory and History , writes Rothbard in his introduction, "remains by far the most neglected masterwork of Mises. Here Mises defends his all-important idea of metholodogical duelism: one approach to the hard sciences and another for the social sciences. He defends the epistemological status of economic proposition. He has his most extended analysis of those who want to claim that there is more than one logical structure by which we think about reality. He grabbles with the problem of determinism and free will. And presents philosophy of history and historical research. Overall, this is a tremendously lucid defense of the fundamental Misesian approach to social philosophy. "It is Mises's great methodological work, explaining the basis of his approach to economics, and providing scintillating critiques of such fallacious alternatives as historicism, scientism, and Marxian dialectical materialism . . . . Austrian economics will never enjoy a genuine renaissance until economists read and absorb the vital lessons of this unfortunately neglected work." Theory and History should be required for any student of 20th century ideas. Title Page 1 Contents 3 Preface 9 Introduction 19 Part One. Value 35 Chapter 1. Judgments of Value 37 Chapter 2. Knowledge and Value 44 Chapter 3. The Quest for Absolute Value 53 Chapter 4. The Negation of Valuation 87 Part Two. Determinsim and Materialism 89 Chapter 5. Determinism and Its Critics 91 Chapter 6. Materialism 112 Chapter 7. Dialectical Materialism 120 Chapter 8. Philosophy of History 177 Part Three. Epistemological Problems of History 199 Chapter 9. The Concept of Historical Individuality 201 Chapter 10. Historicism 216 Chapter 11. The Challenge of Scientism 258 Chapter 12. Psychology and Thymology 282 Chapter 13. Meaning and Use of the Study of History 303 Chapter 14. The Epistemological Features of History 321 Part Four. The Course of History 339 Chapter 15. Philosophical Interpretations of History 341 Chapter 16. Present-Day Trends and the Future 365 Index 399