Lecture series
Ludwig von Mises in One Lesson
Ludwig von Mises in One Lesson is a free lecture series (6 recordings, 0.1 hours) you can stream or download at freecapitalists.org, with Murray N. Rothbard.
Short clips of Rothbard introducing core Misesian ideas. He covers praxeology, subjective value and the entrepreneur's dual role, tells an anecdote about Mises's own seminar, and explains why Mises's work was at first received so poorly in America.
Cover painting: Ludwig von Mises rises to walk out of an early Mont Pelerin Society session, Switzerland, late 1940s. See every painting in the art gallery.
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01
0:33 Download MP3
An anecdote about Mises
Rothbard recalls that intimidated students in Mises's seminar were reluctant to speak up. Mises reassured them that whatever they said, however seemingly idiotic, some eminent economist before them had already said it and been right.
Read the transcript 108 words
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02
0:38 Download MP3
Why was the intial response to Mises's work so poor in America?
Rothbard argues Mises's early work was largely ignored in the English-speaking world. Keynes reviewed Mises's Theory of Money and Credit dismissively when it appeared, but later admitted privately that his German was only good enough to recognize ideas he already held, not to grasp anything new.
Read the transcript 139 words
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03
0:40 Download MP3
What is the essence of Austrian Economics?
Rothbard argues Austrian economics is set apart by grounding analysis in individual action. Starting from individuals with purposes and goals and building up from there is what distinguishes it from economics that deals only in group totals.
Read the transcript 80 words
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04
0:37 Download MP3
What is the essence of praxeology?
Rothbard describes praxeology as Mises's analysis of individual action, the root of economic theory. He says this is known simply by observing oneself and others acting with conscious purpose, and the whole of economic theory is deduced from that knowledge.
Read the transcript 118 words
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05
0:55 Download MP3
What is the subjective theory of value?
Rothbard argues economics is not fundamentally quantitative, because value is subjective. He says Austrian books contain almost no mathematics for this reason, since economics is a philosophic rather than a mathematical subject.
Read the transcript 158 words
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06
0:36 Download MP3
What is the role of the capitalist entrepreneur in Austrian Economics?
Rothbard argues the capitalist entrepreneur earns a two-part return in Austrian theory. Workers accept a discount, the interest return, in exchange for not having to wait years to be paid.
Read the transcript 113 words
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Recording dates and topics for 0 of these 6 lectures come from the Mises Institute's page for Ludwig von Mises in One Lesson, checked 2026-09-27. The series and lecture summaries above them are written for this archive from the transcripts.
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About this series
- Is Ludwig von Mises in One Lesson free to listen to?
- Yes. All 6 mirrored recordings stream in the browser or download as audio, at no cost and with no signup.
- How long is Ludwig von Mises in One Lesson?
- 6 recordings, 0.1 hours in total.
- Who lectures in Ludwig von Mises in One Lesson?
- Murray N. Rothbard.
- Is there a transcript of Ludwig von Mises in One Lesson?
- Yes. Every lecture in the series has one, 716 words in total, free to read on each lecture's page and searchable in the browser.
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