Austin Hall Library

Economics for the Rest of Us

In my previous post, I mentioned Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse. She has a website where more can be learned of her and her work here. There are also testimonials on the website regarding her fascinating book, Love & Economics: It Takes a Family to Raise a Village. It is a book about why strong families are vital to society presented in the context of free-market economics and limited-government political philosophy, with a touch of the natural law thrown in. It is an approach to economics that makes sense, and for that reason it might take a little getting used to. There aren't many books on economics these days that actually make sense.

But, I have mentioned before E.F. Schumacher's Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered. If you find economics boring, irrelevant, and impractical, this is the book for you. Written in the 1970s, Small appears a bit outdated, but its insights are timeless. I wish I had grown up reflecting on Schumacher's ideas. His practical and humanistic approach to economics would perhaps have been an antidote to the modern economic orthodoxy of infinite growth and prosperity. Given the recent events in the American economy, Schumacher appears to have been a prophet.

Sarah Palin and the Law of the Gift

Sarah Palin left an impression on me the first time I heard of her for a reason having nothing to do with politics. Diagnosed prenatally, she gave birth to a Down syndrome son last April and pronounced him "beautiful," "perfect," and "a gift." Of the cases of Down syndrome diagnosed by pre-natal testing each year, approximately ninety percent are terminated by abortion. The first quote I read by Palin was this unusual idea that her special needs child was "a gift."

A significant segment of American society presumes that a person's ability to contribute economically is the primary measure of his value. Perhaps even larger numbers presume (or, also presume) that a person's ability to think, make decisions, and make rational choices are at the heart of what it means to be a person of value, or, perhaps even human. Once we decide that a person is not useful, that uselessness is the measure of the legal rights our society affords him. Similarly, once it is decided that a person is not economically productive or able to think at a pre-determined level, it is easy to see him as not completely human. It is a sobering and frightening thought that a core value of our society has become that the "usefulness" of a person may be in conflict with the basic dignity of each individual.

The current Sarah Palin/special needs discussion reminds me of a book and, particularly, a chapter of a book titled, "The Law of the Gift." The book is authored by a highly qualified academic and economist, Jennifer Roback Morse, and carries the provocative title, Smart Sex: Finding Life-Long Love in a Hook-Up World. It is a fascinating, well-written, and practical book about love, sex, marriage, and the well-being of children. It should be required reading for every college student. Chapter seven ("The Law of the Gift") is practical common sense radicalism. It is radically counter-cultural and likely sounds foreign to most Americans these days. Although it is optimistic and insightful, to read the book is to feel a bit sad about its truth and the prospects for the future of our American society.

Books to Read Before You Die

Life is short and easily wasted. Reading books won't change that, but reading and reflecting on good books can help prevent a wasted life. The following brief list of books to read before one dies is rather eclectic, and not necessarily the best books that could be read on any given topic. But, each recommendation is interesting and worth some consideration.

The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell (because prose lovers need intellectual stimulation too, and it's one the the greatest biographies ever written)  

The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor (because life is filled with disturbing realities and no one makes that clearer that O'Connor, and because this might be the greatest collection of short stories ever written)

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (because a person needs a touch of humor after Flannery O'Connor, and because this book is great comedy, filled with offbeat characters, and a truly original novel)

Confessions by St. Augustine (because one needs to reflect on one's life despite the myriad temptations to avoid it)

Guide for the Perplexed by E.F. Schumacher (because we all need a map for living and a manual for survival in an unreasoning world)

Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper (because man's inherited disposition is killing him, and this book will help if he pays attention)

The Evidential Power of Beauty: Science and Theology Meet by Thomas Dubay (because those who want to understand beauty, and haven't yet suppressed their ability to recognize it, need a place to start)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (because all mankind wants to see what a truly human and morally upright lawyer would look like--even if he is fictional)

The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis (because there is suffering in the world and it must not be just endured)

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (because this is epic poetry and it will make one want to avoid hell)

The Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying by Jeremy Taylor (because, while hell can be avoided, dying cannot be, and this book will help one die well)

Curmudgeonly Sorts From Whom We Can Learn To Write

It is often said that if one wants to learn to write, one must read the works of great writers. And, it sometimes seems that the writers from whom we can learn the most about writing are among the most eccentric, flawed, or, at least a bit unusual for a variety of reasons.

I have written about G.K. Chesterton in previous posts--not for his writing style--but for the ideas he communicates. He is perhaps one of the finest thinkers and cultural critics of the modern period. I can recommend for consideration, without qualification, all his works for the ideas contained therein. But, Chesterton's writings are also highly valuable for their style. He was a master of wit and English prose and equally at ease whether writing about philosophy, history, theology, or literary and social criticism. Read Chesterton's The Everlasting Man for a compelling philosophy of history, but also for a powerful look at a rare polemical style. Read What's Wrong With the World for insightful social commentary, but also for its wit and paradoxical prose. Carefully reading and reflecting on Chesterton's works will make one a better writer and a better person.

I have also commented in previous posts on the crusty, gifted, and prolific Hilaire Belloc, known for his writings on history, travel, distributivist economics, fiction, and theology. Belloc was skilled in poetic prose, but also excelled in farcical novels and satires. And, his travel writings are known for their gripping descriptions of unforgettable scenes and images. In his famous The Path to Rome Belloc graphically describes his walk from Southeastern France to Rome prior to World War I and includes pen and ink drawings made by him on the trip. It is a delightful and entertaining travelogue and one vividly fixed in my mind to this day--long after reading it. Read The Crusades: The World's Debate for a descriptive and thorough analysis of the First Crusade, and an appreciation for Belloc's gifts as an historian. Then, there is the classic piece of social and economic commentary, The Servile State. Well written and tightly argued, it is perhaps the best critique of capitalism ever penned. 

While I cannot recommend equally the various works of H.L. Mencken, the out-spoken and often intentionally offensive American journalist and essayist was a stylistically talented writer. I can recommend A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing as an excellent example of the surgical use of language, and the effective use of biting humor. An individualist and libertarian at a time when such designations were not very popular, Mencken relished every opportunity to debunk ideas and people with whom he disagreed--and there were quite a few of both. A Mencken Chrestomathy is filled with highly opinionated insights--some of little value and others quite erudite. But, the writing style--a combination of wit and purpose, highlighted by a skilled command of the English language--is worth emulating if one is interested in written communication.