Lecture series · recorded 2010
Theory and History
Theory and History is a free lecture series (18 recordings, 11 hours) you can stream or download at freecapitalists.org, with 2 speakers.
Mises moves beyond economics to address questions regarding the foundation of all social science. He discusses his methodological dualism: one approach for hard sciences and another for the social sciences. Rothbard writes "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." This audiobook is narrated by John Pruden.
Cover painting: Antonov-Ovseenko bursts in to arrest the Provisional Government, Winter Palace, October 1917. See every painting in the art gallery.
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01
15:52 Download MP3
Preface
Read the transcript 2,050 words
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02
25:41 Download MP3
Introduction
Read the transcript 3,272 words
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03
12:06 Download MP3
1. Judgments of Value 2010
From Theory and History, Part One, "Value". Narrated by John Pruden.
Philosophy and MethodologyValue and Exchange
Read the transcript 1,725 words
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04
15:10 Download MP3
2. Knowledge and Value 2010
From Theory and History, Part One, "Value". Narrated by John Pruden.
Philosophy and MethodologyValue and Exchange
Read the transcript 1,967 words
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05
1:01:56 Download MP3
3. The Quest for Absolute Values 2010
From Theory and History, Part One, "Value". Narrated by John Pruden.
Philosophy and MethodologyValue and Exchange
Read the transcript 7,988 words
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06
1:41 Download MP3
4. The Negation of Valuation 2010
From Theory and History, Part One, "Value". Narrated by John Pruden.
Philosophy and MethodologyValue and Exchange
Read the transcript 215 words
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07
37:23 Download MP3
5. Determination and Its Critics 2010
From Theory and History, Part Two, "Determination and Materialism". Narrated by John Pruden.
Other Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
Read the transcript 5,184 words
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08
13:29 Download MP3
6. Materialism 2010
From Theory and History, Part Two, "Determination and Materialism". Narrated by John Pruden.
Other Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
Read the transcript 1,920 words
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09
1:39:50 Download MP3
7. Dialectical Materialism 2010
From Theory and History Part Two, "Determination and Materialism". Narrated by John Pruden.
Other Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
Read the transcript 14,197 words
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10
36:31 Download MP3
8. Philosophy of History 2010
From Theory and History Part Two, "Determination and Materialism". Narrated by John Pruden.
Philosophy and MethodologyWorld History
Read the transcript 5,205 words
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11
26:27 Download MP3
9. The Concept of Historical Individuality 2010
From Theory and History Part Three, "Epistemological Problems of History". Narrated by John Pruden.
Philosophy and Methodology
Read the transcript 3,842 words
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12
1:12:36 Download MP3
10. Historicism 2010
From Theory and History Part Three, "Epistemological Problems of History". Narrated by John Pruden.
Other Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
Read the transcript 10,326 words
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13
43:14 Download MP3
11. The Challenge of Scientism 2010
From Theory and History Part Three, "Epistemological Problems of History". Narrated by John Pruden.
Other Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
Read the transcript 5,895 words
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14
36:37 Download MP3
12. Psychology and Thymology 2010
From Theory and History Part Three, "Epistemological Problems of History". Narrated by John Pruden.
Other Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
Read the transcript 5,029 words
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15
30:01 Download MP3
13. Meaning and Use of the Study of History 2010
From Theory and History Part Three, "Epistemological Problems of History". Narrated by John Pruden.
Philosophy and MethodologyWorld History
Read the transcript 4,207 words
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16
31:18 Download MP3
14. The Epistemological Features of History 2010
From Theory and History Part Three, "Epistemological Problems of History". Narrated by John Pruden.
Philosophy and MethodologyWorld History
Read the transcript 4,485 words
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17
40:43 Download MP3
15. Philosophical Interpretations of History 2010
From Theory and History Part Four, "The Course of History". Narrated by John Pruden.
Philosophy and MethodologyWorld History
Read the transcript 5,567 words
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18
58:18 Download MP3
16. Present-Day Trends and the Future 2010
From Theory and History Part Four, "The Course of History". Narrated by John Pruden.
Other Schools of ThoughtPhilosophy and Methodology
Read the transcript 8,312 words
People in this series
Speakers
Recording dates, summaries and topics for 16 of these 18 lectures come from the Mises Institute's page for Theory and History, checked 2026-09-28.
Community
Discussed on the forum
Threads on Mises Community, this archive's companion forum, whose titles name this course. These are reader conversations, not part of the archive.
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Theory and HistoryDormant
General
Questions
About this series
- Is Theory and History free to listen to?
- Yes. All 18 mirrored recordings stream in the browser or download as audio, at no cost and with no signup.
- How long is Theory and History?
- 18 recordings, 11 hours in total.
- When was Theory and History recorded?
- 2010, per the recording dates recovered for this series.
- Is there a transcript of Theory and History?
- Yes. Every lecture in the series has one, 91,386 words in total, free to read on each lecture's page and searchable in the browser.
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