[mpelkowski]

Can you recommend any works that you consider an honest and well thought out critique of the Austrian School? I would like to get a better feel of the objections against Austrian Economics. Most of my exposure to the objections comes in the form of refutations by Austrians or from popular economists like Krugman.

Preferably something scholarly but not too technical in nature would be best. Thank you.

[derosa8]

If you search Bryan Caplan, he is probably the most well known scholarly critique of the Austrian School. He is one of few tries to fully understand their arguments before critiquing them.

He has a famous essay, “Why I am Not an Austrian Economist” which I’m not sure has been refuted in print by anyone from the Austrian School.

There probably are many other critics, but he is one I have seen. He also has a debate on youtube where he goes against Pete Boettke, an Austrian from George Mason University.

[jim]

MichaelP & JohnD,

I soldered through Bryan Caplan and Pete Boettke 13 part youtube debate. I found their treatment of Austrian vs Mainstream fogy and confusing. Bob Murphy has a great youtube Austrian vs. Neoclassical Analytics | Robert P. Murphy. He even references Bryan Caplan and “Why I am Not an Austrian Economist”. It runs about 55 minutes and is very understandable.

[derosa8]

Good find JamesHarrySchaeffer. Bob Murphy has a great way of putting complicated things in simple terms.

[mpelkowski]

John and James,

Thanks for the info. I will check out Caplan’s work. I have seen the Murphy video, but again that is an Austrian laying out the oppositions argument. I am trying to hear it straight from the horses mouth.

[jmherbener]

Here is the debate stimulated by Bryan Caplan’s article:

First, Caplan:

http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/bcaplan/whyaust.htm

Next, Guido Huelsmann

http://mises.org/journals/qjae/pdf/qjae2_4_1.pdf

Then, Walter Block:

http://mises.org/journals/qjae/pdf/qjae2_4_2.pdf

Caplan’s response:

http://econfaculty.gmu.edu/bcaplan/pdfs/probabilitycommonsense.pdf

And Hans Hoppe:

http://mises.org/journals/qjae/pdf/qjae8_4_6.pdf

[mpelkowski]

Thank you very much.

[dajepson]

Robert Nozick also made a reasonably credible attempt in his essay On Austrian Methodology, published in his book Socratic Puzzles. Walter Block wrote a very effective response:

http://www.academia.edu/1355560/On_Robert_Nozicks_On_Austrian_Methodology

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