The Human Action Seminar During the COVID-19 Period

Dr. Walter Block is fearless.

I wonder if Paul Krugman or Robert Reich are running Keynesian seminars for their students during this period.

Here is the notice Dr. Block sent out to members of his Human Action seminar:

Loyola University is intent upon dealing appropriately with the threat of the Corona 19 Virus. The people in charge of our policy determined that students would not be allowed to attend gatherings of more than 10 people. I was able to garner an exception to this rule for the HA seminar on the ground that it is a scholarly event. Even though the meeting would no longer be held on campus, due to very strict space restrictions, I would still organize it in strict adherence to University safety rulings. Accordingly when you arrive at our new meeting place, see below, you must be masked (we meet at a separate room in this restaurant, all the way to the back of the building). Ditto for when you depart, or use the facilities. You must keep your mask on at all times except for when we are alone in that back room eating and drinking. Free pizza and soft drinks will be served while we meet. As always, if you want any alcoholic beverages you will have to pay for them yourselves. Also, as always, Loyola students will have to stick to soft drinks.

Many of you are free spirits and will not be happy with these restrictions; nor am I. However, I promised the Loyola people in charge of these sorts of things strict adherence to these rules, and I mean to honor my promise. If they are not fully obeyed, Loyola students and faculty will not be able to attend these meetings, which means I will no longer be able to hold these events. So, please, be ready to fully comply.
For those of you who are libertarians, we meet on private property, and owners are properly able to set whatever rules they wish to impose.

I call this my Human Action seminar, since this was the first publication we studied at our book club. 

Upcoming meeting dates: 9/4, 9/18, 10/2, 10/16,10/30, 11/13
Time: 5:30-7:30pm; please come at 5:15pm, as we’ll start promptly at 5:30pm
Place: New York Pizza
https://www.newyorkpizzanola.com/4418 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
newyorkpizzanola.com

Reading:

At our last meeting, in our discussion of Mises’ Theory and History we arrived all the way to chapter 1, page 19, having thoroughly covered the introduction. 

This book is available electronically right here: http://www.mises.org/th.asp;
or here: https://mises.org/search-mises?search=Mises%2C%20theory%20and%20historyOr here: https://cdn.mises.org/Theory%20and%20History%20An%20Interpretation%20of%20Social%20and%20Economic%20Evolution_1.pdf 

This meeting is only part book club; it is also part research seminar. So, if you have a scholarly paper for which you seek feedback, send it to me. If I deem it appropriate, I’ll circulate it, and, then, after people have had a chance to read it, schedule a discussion of it at a future meeting. Authors: bring a tape recorder to this meeting, because, based on my past experience with this sort of thing, the suggestions, constructive criticisms, will come so thick and fast you won’t have time to take notes.

We usually take a 5 minute break after one hour, at 6:30. The first 5-10 minutes of the meeting will be spent so that each of us can introduces himself to the other members of the group, 10-15 seconds each.

Highly recommended supplementary readings for Ludwig von Mises, Theory and History:

This is David Gordon's lecture on Theory and History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHa7leQbsHE&t=1780s

Rothbard, Murray N. 1985. “Preface to Theory and History by Ludwig von Mises.” Auburn.  The Mises Institute, http://mises.org/th/thpreface.asp; http://www.mises.org/th.asp; https://cdn.mises.org/Theory%20and%20History%20An%20Interpretation%20of%20Social%20and%20Economic%20Evolution_1.pdf
Next books to be discussed:

a. Hoppe, Hans-Hermann. 2001B. Democracy, the God that Failed: The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy and Natural Order, New Brunswick, N.J. Transaction Publishers.  

Here’s my review of this book:

a.Block, Walter E. 2004. “The State Was a Mistake.” Book review of Hoppe, Han-Hermann, Democracy, The God that Failed: The Economics and Politics of Monarchy, Democracy and Natural Order, 2001May 25. http://www.mises.org/fullstory.asp?control=1522b. Hayek. Friedrich. 1976. “The Mirage of Social Justice,” Law Legislation and Liberty, Vol. II. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
c. I’m open to suggestions

(Reprinted with permission of Dr. Block)

-RW