Person
Every book Michael Munger recommended on podcasts
Michael Munger’s most recommended books
- The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith
- The Calculus of Consent by James M. Buchanan
- Free to Choose by Milton Friedman
- Freedom and the Law by Bruno Leoni
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- Capitalism and freedom by Milton Friedman
- One Fat Englishman by Kingsley Amis
- Politics by Principle, Not Interest by James M. Buchanan
- Statistics of Democide by Rudolph J. Rummel
- The constitution of liberty by Friedrich A. von Hayek
Michael Munger is an academic and commentator who has appeared as a guest on EconTalk to discuss economic principles, governance, and historical political philosophy. During his podcast appearances, Munger both recommended specific foundational texts and referenced classic literature to illustrate economic and social phenomena. He twice brought up Milton Friedman's Free to Choose, arguing alongside a copy of the United States Constitution that serious attempts to cut government programs and test state involvement require consulting these foundational principles. In discussions about the gradual nature of economic and societal shifts, Munger referenced Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises, specifically citing the famous exchange about going bankrupt gradually and then suddenly. Furthermore, Munger discussed several historical works and academic texts during a retrospective conversation about Bruno Leoni, mentioning Friedrich A. von Hayek's The Constitution of Liberty, Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom, Bruno Leoni's Freedom and the Law, and James M. Buchanan and Roger D. Congleton's Politics by Principle, Not Interest, using these texts to explore legal frameworks, universality, and the history of classical liberal thought.
Books recommended by Michael Munger
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The Theory of Moral Sentiments
The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith is a seminal 1759 work of moral philosophy that examines the psychological foundations of human judgment, empathy, and social order.
Discussed“on page 136 of the Liberty Fund edition of theory of moral sentiments, and I should say I first encountered this in your marvelous six-part discussion with Dan Klein a long time ago, now I think it was 2009.”
Where to get it
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The Calculus of Consent
The Calculus of Consent by James M.
Discussed“but the real origins of public choice and particularly the first of what we now think of as the the public choice pentateuch the five founding books of public choice was the calculus of consent and the calculus of consent takes up some of the work written by it was written by james buchanan and gordon tullock it was published”
Where to get it
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Free to Choose
Free to Choose by Milton Friedman is a classic exposition of free-market economics and classical liberalism that argues for the supremacy of individual choice over government intervention.
Recommended“there's two things that we should be doing and we need to have a copy of maybe uh Milton Friedman's book free to choose and the US Constitution open to the page where the 10th Amendment is”
Where to get it
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Freedom and the Law
Discussed“Leone was working on his major book what turned out to be really his only major book Freedom in the law which was published in 1961”
Where to get it
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Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is a philosophical novel that outlines the author's system of Objectivism through a dystopian narrative about a society collapsing under heavy government intervention.
Discussed“A lot of people, when they read Atlas shrugged. Actually have. They are at least willing to consider it. Yup, I agree. It's powerful book. and you're when you're young, right? The the I mean. There, there, there. There are problems with it. It's very long, and i'm I always worry when I assign. Atlas shrugged. Because if you're Michael”
Where to get it
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Capitalism and freedom
Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman is a foundational economic text arguing for the preeminence of competitive capitalism and limited government intervention as prerequisites for individual liberty.
Discussed“with Milton fredman who was working on capitalism and freedom and Leone was working on his major book what turned out to be really his only major book Freedom in the law which was published in 1961”
Where to get it
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One Fat Englishman
One Fat Englishman by Kingsley Amis is a satirical and provocative novel that explores cultural clashes, trans-Atlantic relations, and human behavior through a morally complex and often controversial protagonist.
Discussed“kingsley amos said it amusingly in a book called one fat englishman a book that is totally unacceptable in today's world”
Where to get it
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Politics by Principle, Not Interest
Discussed“so Buchanan and congleton wrote a book politics by principle not interest”
Where to get it
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Statistics of Democide
Discussed“that the if you look at there's a book called democide if you look at the great genocides and disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries they're all perpetrated by states by government”
Where to get it
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The constitution of liberty
Friedrich A.
Discussed“in famously in 1960 he shared the the stage with Friedrich Hayek who was then presenting an outline of the Constitution of Liberty”
Where to get it
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The Economics of Welfare
Discussed“in fact if you look at bagu's writings and so wealth and welfare this is 1912. it is not sufficient to contrast the imperfect adjustments of unfettered private Enterprise with the best adjustments that economists in their studies can imagine”
Where to get it
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The Problem of Social Cost
Discussed“Ronald Coast just mischaracterizes pagu's thought in the 1960 paper uh the problem of social cost”
Where to get it
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The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is a classic Lost Generation novel chronicling the disillusionment, travels, and romantic entanglements of a group of American and British expatriates in Europe.
Discussed“I'm reminded of In The Sun Also Rises I think you've quoted this before Ernest Hemingway uh bill says how did you go bankrupt and Mike responds two ways gradually and then suddenly”
Where to get it
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Thinking, Fast and Slow
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman explores the dual systems of the human mind that drive how people think, make choices, and commit cognitive errors.
Discussed“Daniel Kahneman had a book Thinking Fast and Slow”
Where to get it
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Wealth and Welfare, by A. C. Pigou,...
Discussed“in fact if you look at bagu's writings and so wealth and welfare this is 1912. it is not sufficient to contrast the imperfect adjustments of unfettered private Enterprise with the best adjustments that economists in their studies can imagine”
Where to get it
Books Michael Munger wrote
Appearances
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and so I wrote that book is capitalism sustainable? and we had a podcast about it”