Bookshelf
Leviathan: The Growth of Local Government and the Erosion of Liberty by Clint Bolick. The federal government has mushroomed in the last century. But Bolick shows that state and local governments are now growing even faster. Which means they can smother your commerce, crunch your property rights, fetter your free speech, violate your privacy, brainwash your kids. Bolick shows how things got so bad without anyone noticing until the deed was done.
The Law by Frederic Bastiat. The 19th century French politician and economist was also one of the best writers of his time. This is his key book on the what the law should be, and what politicians should work towards.
Thomas Paine: Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations, by Craig Nelson. The man who wrote Common Sense helped get America rolling. But he didn’t stop there, this man knew how to provoke controversy. Paine’s legacy has been downplayed until recently. With this book and others, that slight is being redressed.
The Evolution of Cooperation, by Robert M. Axelrod. This book made a big splash when it was first published decades ago. Before reading this book, a lot of people just assumed that only government produced order. They couldn’t get away with that silly notion after consulting this easy-to-read treatise. Axelrod isn’t alone in explaining how order can emerge without a guiding hand from government (ever heard of Adam Smith’s “invisible hand”?), but he has been one of the clearest. I’ve not read the Revised Edition, but it’s surely worth a look.
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. “Time and chance happeneth to all” and don’t you forget it! This book has been recommended to me enough times that I’ve put it on my Must Read list. The basic point is that chance has a bigger role in life than many people think. And, therefore, thinking that conforms to the realities of uncertainty and sheer randomness has to be better thinking. The opening chapter looks great. Promising start to a much-ballyhooed book.
